A Series of Odd Events
by Walelu
Summary: Myna's mute, that's what the doctor always said. She's also from Kanto, but not really, and now she's living in Alola where's she's from, but not really. There's a lot of points of contention in her life right now.
1. Trama and a Divorce

A little girl, with brilliant red curls and tiny soundless steps, ran across the grass. Her attention was on a pokemon; strange and whimsical as it was, she was fully enamored. Her parents were arguing again anyways. Her father, angry with her apparent disinterest in other children her age, her mother, angry at him for not listening to the doctors.

They said she was fine. Mostly.

But Myna just wanted to see the bird pokemon. It was small and red, an outlier, just like her. It obviously didn't belong in Kanto, just like her. She looked like her father, an older Kalosian man, and had his coloring. He wasn't technectly Kalosian, but from a tiny region that had been swallowed up by the kingdom the region used to be.

In contrast to the Kalosian blond with blue eyes, their bloodlines carried shades of red hair and green/blue eyes. But her mother, an Alolan, shared her shaping. Her nose, the shape of her eyes, cheekbones, tiny arms and petite shape. But her size was still worrying.

She was a rough and tumble six year old, but she looked more like three, and her poor joints would scream in agony at times. She was easily injured.

She could easily see the similar fragility in the little red bird. She could also see it's fear.

She ran after the bird, trying to catch it, trying to understand, what was it afraid of? Through the bushes on the far side of the park, and into the forest that surrounded the city. Viridian. She ran and ran.

The bird flitted through the forest, looking every bit out of place. The animals here were as monotone as the area around them. Simple browns and greens, while beautiful, too simplistic for the creature flying through.

It looked like it needed a more tropical, colorful and rainy place. Kanto was tropical, humid and hot, but not rainy. The humidity didn't build and break, it stuck and made everything else stick to you.

The bird, like her, was so very noticable, flitting through the trees, and avoiding the hanging plants. Until something large slammed it out of the air. The little girl squeaked and ran faster, working on prying the spearow off the strange pokemon.

"Little girl, you don't belong here."

She looked up, gasping at the sight of the tall man that loomed over her, black clad with a sharp red R on his chest. She screamed, and a rat like pokemon appeared. "Use scratch." It was said so nonchalantly.

A sharp pain, incredible in its reach, sliced through her throat and everything went black. She still clutched onto the strange red bird.

In the background of the darkness of her mind, Her mother's voice, "Myna!" It screamed in a high pitched panic.

Then yelling, crying, sirens, sobbing.

And soon, the 'beep, beep, beep,' of her heart beat, slow and calm, being recorded by a hospital machine.

* * *

Seven years later.

Birds, pidgey and spearow, chirped outside her open window, their sound merrily breaking through the thin screen. A bed sat, unmade, and a desk stood, in utter chaos. Just outside the bedroom door, was the kitchen.

Dark kantonian wood and a closed off homely feel to it. A self heating tea kettle sat on the counter, mere feet from the door. It was on, heating the mix of leaves, sugar, vanilla, and turmeric, while a curly haired redhead, too short for her age, mixed creme and ginger together in the bottom of her tea cup.

The machine beeped and she poured it in slowly, continuing to mix as the tea and creme mingled together. A peace settled over her as she poured a bit in a smaller bowl like cup and set it in front of a brilliant red bird that lounged on the counter. The bird pokemon chirped happily and she smiled, held up the cup a little, and took a sip.

It was a nice morning, during the rainy season, even though the sun was out. A breeze whistled through the open windows and screen door. It wasn't nearly as humid as it usually was.

Yelling immediately shattered the mood. As Myna let the pieces of her once nice morning fall to the ground, more yelling could be heard, and the slamming of a door. She took another sip of her tea, contemplating the return to her room. Banging, objects slaming open and closed, and more yelling.

Apapane hopped onto her shoulder, having finished its drink. She took another sip of her own, and set it on the counter, moving to rinse out the smaller empty cup before washing and drying it.

Once it was out away, she took another slow drink of her tea again while putting some bread in a pan and cracking an egg over it. The egg sizzled and the bread browned slightly as the smell filled the kitchen, and the yelling continued. At this rate they'd need to buy some more supplies to fix new holes in her parents bedroom walls.

She sipped from her cup once more before placing it on the counter near her bedroom door. The kitchen table lay unused. She slipped the first piece of cooked bread onto a plate and made two more. She refilled her cup of tea and made Apapane a tiny bowl of necter with a piece of the egg-bread in the center.

The bird hopped off her shoulder once more and started to eat the offered food with her. She hopped onto the counter next to her door and took a bite of her food. And angry yell again, and the door down the hall slammed open.

Her father stormed down the hallway, thinning white hair, that had once been red, adorned his angry features. A suitcase, the same color as the freckles he shared with his only daughter, was in his left hand. With his right, he pushed open the screen door, and let it slam shut behind him.

That was the third time this month. She took another bite of her breakfast. It must've been serious, usually he stopped long enough to yell at her for one, being on the counter, two having Apapane in the kitchen, and three, cooking on her own.

Because she was too weak to do that in his mind.

She kicked the cabinet below her with her heel lightly, the hollow sound quitely shattering the sudden silence. The birds outside must've been scared off by the hullabaloo.

Except it wasn't completely quiet. The thirteen year old could hear quiet sobbing. Soft footsteps quieter and more practiced than her own, made down the hallway.

"Myna," a shaky voice called her attention to the enterance. She looked up and offered her mother some of the breakfast she'd made earlier. Her mother always loved the food she made, and even when she wasn't home, Myna made extra for her.

But her mom didn't move from the enterance. "Pack you're stuff, get everything ready to put in boxes, we leave in a week."

Myna frowned, she noticed the tear streaks in her half done makeup, but missed the red mark on her upper arm. After all, her father punched holes in walls, not people.

With that, her mother turned, and made to trudge her walk of self shame, back to the destroyed and overturned bedroom. Myna frowned and glanced at Apapane, before running the plate into the room after her, and placing it on the nightstand.

Her mother had locked herself in her own bathroom.

* * *

Myna didn't know if she should be saddened or relieved that her father made no move to keep contact with her during or after the divorce, even allowing all rights to her to be revoked.

He did however, fight to keep the house.

He'd built it himself after all, and what selfish man wouldn't want to keep his own handiwork?

That was okay though, Wikolia wanted to go home to Alola. And she wantd to keep their old beat up and rusted truck. It used to be a bright red. It was gladly given up by Jake. The settlement gave the girls just enough money to pick up and move to the outskirts of a city called Hau'oli, and a small town called Iki.

The only thing Myna had to leave behind was her tea kettle, and her friends.

The last two days had her walking through the forest taking pictures with them, a few telling her about distant relatives they had in Alola, and that they'd get the word to them and have them keep an eye on her, she could still comunicate to everyone through them.

It was just too bad all her friends were pokemon.

* * *

Walking through her house one last time was weird.

She grew up here. Had major tradgedies here. Had laughter inducing moments here. Learned to cook and recieved her education here.

Her parents hadn't had enough money to send her to a special school, and the public school considered her too much work.

Especially since her father wouldn't let her learn something integral to her education.

But now her house was devoid of those memories. It looked like a family had just moved in and had yet to make their mark. Family photos were missing, her father didn't want them, and her mother could barely bare to keep them. Into her daughter's memory books they went.

Odd things she never thought about before, an Alolan style lamp, a pretty pokemon statue, she never knew which one, just- things, were gone. Packed away in boxes, stowed away in a large shipping box, ready to go to Alola.

A strange feeling overcame her. Different from the ones she felt all her life, but scarily similar. Her eyes teared up slightly and she did what she had always done. She went back to her room.

Boxes were stacked neatly against the wall. Her bed was void of her favorite teal comforter, her favorite blanket folded neatly and strapped to her backpack. One last box sat open on her desk, her school books and desk supplies neatly placed inside. It just needed her sketchbooks and notebooks before it was to be closed as well.

Apapane sat on her backpack nested into the folded blanket, looking pretty stressed. She ran her hand over its head a few times, soothing it. Soon it was asleep. Then she sat on her bed, placed her head in her hands, and for the first time in years, cried.


	2. Arriving

A large cruise ship like boat cut through the deep waves. Cerulean, Kanto, was barely a dot on the horizon behind it.

Myna sat on a bench overlooking the back of the boat. Apapane sat on her shoulder, chirping softly and burrowed into her long curly hair. The bird's claws rested on her bare shoulder, careful not to snap her spagetti strap tank top. Years of having the bird on her shoulder arms and fingers had made her skin stronger in respect to the claws. Apapane's claws were tiny, little thorns, but not that sharp at all. Myna's skin just broke so easily.

"You know dear, most younguns're lookin to the future, not the past. Ya follow?"

Myna looked up, surprised by the sudden unfamiliar voice.

"Visiting, or going home?" The old woman who spoke had a soft tone to her voice, her stark white hair framed her face beautifully. She was very pretty for her age.

Myna shrugged in response. The old woman took that as an invitation to sit down. "I've been travelling the world all my life, but its about time for me to head home."

Myna glanced at her and tilted her head slightly. The woman laughed, "you're a quiet one, aren't you, sweetie?" She turned her head, white hair sliding over her shoulders, silently the two watched Cerulean City fade into the vibrant blue of the sky and water surrounding it.

"Sometime's I wonder what this world's creator's favorite color was," Myna threw the woman an odd glance, creator? But the woman ignored it and continued, "but then," she swept her hand out in front of them both, "I see the sky, and the ocean." She watched Myna out of the side of her eye, "oh dear, its not just blue, look closer." She swept her hand again, but in a different way. hOne that accented the clouds, hot air balloons, seaweed, and boats. "Anyone that makes so much, can't choose just one thing. Ya follow?" Myna nodded slightly, she didn't know where this was going, but she liked it.z

The woman spoke for hours, letting the sun drift through the sky, watching the darkness begin to chase it. Her melodic voice lulled Myna, and made her feel at peace, much like the mornings, listening to the birds.

"Myna!?" Wikolia's voice came from an upper deck. Myna's head shot up, the old woman glanced up as well, "there you are, its getting dark, the ocean'll get the best of you!"

"Myna?" The old woman hummed and closed her eyes. "A surprising name for an Eirien, or even a Kalosian as I'm guessing that's what you say you are, but," she smiled down at her, "that fits you well," she stood, smoothing out her long flowersd skirt, "my name is Ululani, I hope to see you soar one day, little bird." She smiled, a warm smile that filled Myna with something she hadn't felt in a long time. She waved, and walked off, disapearing into the incoming darkness of the night.

Apapane peaked out from her hair. Myna smiled, and scratched the top of it's head."

* * *

Myna came into the cabin quietly. Alolan music played in the background. Her mom liked to listen to it all the time when her father went on business trips. She had been playing it a lot lately.

Her mother looked up when she heard the door slip closed. She smiled at her daughter a moment before, "I got you some thing," she pushed a small pocket book into Myna's hands. It read, 'Kantonian to Alolan pocket translations.' The woman held up a hand, keeping her daughter from moving, "I know you can't really respond, but being able to understand people in Alola should make you feel more at home." She smiled slightly, "they have a different sign language here, if you want to learn it?"

That.

Her father never wanted her to learn sign language, "no daughter of mine should learn a useless language," or something along those lines.

But her mother was handing her another book. "The alolan language of signs." She smiled as she red the title aloud to her daughter, "here its more of a dance, with more body movements, and sounds, but its so beautiful!" She looked so exited, "and since it incorperates a lot of the moves in traditional dances, its mandatory to be taught in schools, so everyone here would understand!"

That, that would be really cool. The thought was in Myna's head before she could stop it. Before she could let herself be too exited. But it was an exiting thought, she had to admit.

* * *

Water rushed by, splashing against the thick metal body of the ship. The spray came to its limit mere centimeters from Myna's grey walking shoes. She sat under the railing, small body leaning against a pole. She held a journal in her hands. She finished her entry and flipped the page. While she usually started on the righthand page, this time she wrote on the back of the previous.

'Alola,' she titled it. Then on the first line, 'pros,' she divided the page in half with a neat and straight line, on the other side of the line, 'cons.'

Under cons she listed out all the friends, the wild pokemon shue was leaving behind. She listed out her lavk of a tea kettle, lack of a bedroom of her own, lack of a huge forest, of the rivers she grew up exploring, the doctor that she still visited all these years after her accident, the berries she grew, the food she cooked, lack of a nuclear, if dysfunctional family, on and on she went. Finally she stopped, on the verge of tears.

Then, slowly, her pencil slid, as though on its own, to the pros side. The side of her palm smudges the cons slightly as she writes. 'Possible language-a way to communicate.' Then, after a moment, 'a new start.' She smiled slightly, maybe, just maybe, she could do this.

She looked up at the stars.

Hopefully she could do this, after all, there was no turning back.

* * *

The sun was halway above the horizon of Alola. It glistened over the waters, and birds, completely foreign to Kanto, began to awaken.

It was entirely too early.

Myna alredy stood, sidebag on, and Apapane perched on her shoulder, feet resting on the shoulder strap. The bag was a light grey, with purple flowers accenting it, and had a cross body strap. Something in Myna had felt she needed to make a good first impression on her new home, so she matched her clothes to her bag. Light grey and purple. Her impressivly unmaliable red hair was partially tamed, with a bit of the top layer pulled into a side pony tail with a scrungy that mimicked the appearance of a purple clip, behind her ear. The bangs on the opposite side of her head were straightened, and stood out wonderfully, in her opinion.

Her mother thought she looked homeless...

she didn't particularly care.

She also didn't know if 'particularly' was the right word for it.

She didn't particularly care if it wasn't, though.

Myna stood, trying to make herself smaller, near the side of the deck. Her suitcase, which unfortunately stood out from the rest of her color coded style with deep blood red accents to a black exterior, sat next to her, and her hand rested on the handle to keep it from rolling away.

Was that a run on sentence? Well, no one was fact checking Myna's mind, so it didn't matter, she supposed. Or was the correct term a grammar natzi? She would capitalize natzi, but she didn't want to give them the benifit... and it was her mind so no one really got a say in it... she even spelled gray, grey... gray, grey, gray... grey? This wan't Kalos... or Hoenn... it was supposed to be gray here... or was it grey on Alola? She hoped not.

What was she doing again?

Oh yeah, waiting for the boat to slide into Melemele Island's port.

She could see it, and it looked so different from Kanto. It was so small too. It was beautiful.

Great, she wanted to make a good first impression on the home she thought she'd move away from the first chance she got, when really, it made a good first impression on her.

Her fingers tightened on the journal she held in her hands, then she flipped it open. The pencil had been slipped into the spiral binding before she closed it the night before, effectively saving her spot. With the book now open, she took the pencil from its spot. In 'pros,' she wrote in slow careful letters, 'it's beautiful.' She would have wrote '...' but she had too many of those in her mind already.

The dock was getting closer, and her mother, who stood next to her, was getting more and more antsy. She was going home for the first time since before marriage, so Myna supposed she understood it. But at the same time, this involved Myna leaving hers, so it was a complicated feeling of frustration and happiness-for towards her mother.

When the boat finally docked, it was a legitimate flood of humans, mostly tourists, rushing from the ship. Myna and Wikolia waited until the flood turned to a trickle before making their way from the ship. Wikolia seemed to be looking for someone.

"Wikolia!" It came from behind them, and Myna found herself spinning around. A man, in his thirties, was waving at them. He looked, weird. Her mother recignized him immidietly, and as the crowds on this side of the port thinned, she dragged Myna towards him at a half run.

"Kukui! Alola!"

Alola... thats the name of this region yes... why was her mother yelling it at the top of her lungs? It was only then that it struck her, how much her mother looked like Kukui. Where they related? Was she, Myna, herself, related to this strange looking man. Honestly, he looked like a surfer, the only thing he was missing, was an ubsurdly long braid.

Anyways, her mother rushed forwards, finally letting go of her daughter's slightly bruised arm, and slaming this new man in a crushing hug. Myna stayed put, not quite knowing what to do. Her hand still clutched onto her suitcase, and Apapane slowly let his feathers unruffle.

Her mother, and this odd man spoke quickly, in Alolan. Myna only understood, like two words. And one of them was her mother's name.

Myna tilted her head slightly in confusion. She glanced at Apapane. The bird let out a series of clicks and chirps, but Myna understood. It was along the lines of 'I dunno, dont look at me, your mum's lost it.' But that was a much cleaner version. Apapane picked up some words from her father...

"Alola little sis!" Wait. Myna did not have a brother. She stared at the man, completely dumbstruck. Apapane tilted his head to match her. He turned to Wikolia, "ten minutes in Alola and she's already broken."

* * *

A/N: Hey ya'll. Sooooo, I feel like I should explain some things? But I dunno what? I should start with languages I guess; so Alolan is basically Hawaiian, Kantonian is Japanese, Johotite is Korean, Hoennite is Italian, Sinnohan has two dialects, German and Dutch, Unova is English, Kalos has a helloalota languages, basically all the languages from the british isles and northern Europe, but the main language is French. This is because there used to be hundreds of tiny kingdoms, and they ised to war with each other, until the Kalosian kingdom took over them all, and later became what we know today as Kalos.

One of the origional small kingdoms was the eaquivalent of Ireland. Eire. The people decended from that kingdom are still called Eirian, and a lot of the other Kalosian peoples still differenciate Eirians from them. Like the member of the family that is hated for no particular reason besides being different... like me! :)

Myna is half Alolan and Eirian. She was a heavily premature birth, and yes, that thing that happened in the first chapter left her mute. She also has slight Aspergers, a lot of premies do, which ties in a lot of other things like ADHD and anxiety in later teen years, and in some instances depression. But most of her health isues are a result of her premature birth, which is a normal thing, I would like to display premature babies troubles in older years correctly, so I am drawing form my own experiences, as well as others, and some scientific studies.

Being premature doesn't make your muscles 'weaker' per-say, but sometimes your joints and organs can be underdeveloped. This can cause really thin skin and athsma. Or even kidney and digestive issues.

Joy.

(I am a very sarcastic person. That was sarcastic. Having to explain why you have carpal tunnel as a nine year old, and hiding knee braces and physical therapy for ALL OF MIDDLE SCHOOL while having Aspergers (crazy ADHD moments of horror and trachers thinking I was retarted... IQ tests proved them wrong... I think) and not taking medication for zeee brainzzz is like the best freaking thing in the whole gosh darned world. Does this have to be rated T now? Is this rated T already? I'll go look at the rating now...)

Oh yeah, I got a review and was like YEEEES SOMEONE CARES! But it was only Farla having another lonely night alone in his or her/xzeeeeer apartment. So if you liked this story, leave a review, like 'q' just to let me know you're there and you care.

Please don't just type 'q.'


	3. Settling In

A/N: I'm thinking about translating some of my one shots into spanish, is that a good idea? Also Myna's mother's name is Wikolia Mahina, and Kukui's is Kukui Lā. All Hawaiian names mean something in this story. English names as well. Thats why sometimes you won't find out a name for a while, cause I don't want you to know something about them. Nalani likes to use Wikolia's middle name because it sounds better to her. She chose Wikolia's middle name, and Kukui's first name. Nalani doesn't have a middle name.

As you can see, I have a bit of a spiratic update schedule. Actually I do not have a schedule. I should really make a schedule. Meh... I'll make a schedule for when I should make a schedule... later...

I wanna thank Mythgirl the Pokemon Master, for her great, and very quick review. You're awesome, friend!

* * *

Kukui had taken the two to a nice looking house. Odd that it only had one story, most homes in Kanto had two, but there was a nice attic that the previous owners had done up a bit. In fact, it already had a lot of furniture. A lovely table, complete with a tablecloth, the most modern and open kitchen area she had ever seen, beautiful large windows and a lovely porch. Oddly enough it even had a lot of pictures of a happy family, with two children, probably twins, smiling at the camera during a fishing trip being one.

But it wasn't home.

She quickly found out that her mother had bought the home, and that they had a roommate of sorts. An old woman who spoke rapidly in Alolan to Wikolia. It came as a shock to Myna that this woman was her grandmother. Nalani was her name, and her husband had built this house, so long ago. Myna's own grandfather, had built this house. He had died two year before.

A spark of anger shot through her. She had grandparents, alive, and hadn't been able to meet them all these years.

Turned out her grndparents had been rich. They owned most of the land on the outskirts of Hau'oli, right up to half an acre away from the beach. They used to own the beach area as well, but Kukui inhereted it from them a couple years before Myna's grandfather's death.

All in all, it was about one hundred and fifty acres still owned by Nalani. And Myna had never known. Now the woman lived in a large empty house, alone.

Until her daughter and grandaughter moved in. Nalani was highly educated, but had never gone to a single school in her life. She could talk circles around anyone she wanted to, in about seven different languages. The woman was highly gifted. In her lage sixties, the woman looked as though she could be in her forties. But then, Myna had noticed most older people here looked significantly younger than they really were. Even the kids were older than they looked.

Maybe Myna got it from her mother?

Upon first enterance into the home though, these thougts weren't running through her head. What was running through her head was the question of why there was an old woman sitting at the dining room table drinking a cup of tea. The kitchen was emaculate, so Myna didn't know if she even cooked it in there or not.

The woman turned her head, and at once her eyes lit up. She spoke rapidly in Alolan, something along the lines of having not seen Wikolia and Kukui together in over ten years. Then she turned her attention to Myna.

"You must be Myna dear, so beautiful, like a Eirian Rose, but with an Alolan flare!" Myna stared at her incrediously, and tilted her head slightly, cocking an eyebrow in confusion. The woman frowned and turned to Wikolia, "Dear, she doesn't talk much does she?"

"Haven't heard her say a word!" Kukui butted in from behind the girls, hands heasting behind his head as he stood. Wikolia glared at him, while Myna stared with a blank face. She rarely judged people angrily for actions done.

"Well ma," Wikolia threw a glance at her only daughter, "there was an acident, about seven years ago." Myna fiddled with the purple chocker she wore, and Wikolia continued, "it damaged her vocal cords, ma, she can't speak."

"Well surely she could sign yeah? I can get Kantonian signs, she could still communicate, ya follow?" Kukui decidedly placed himself into the conversation, and Wikolia looked quite uncomfortable.

"Jake didn't think she should..." Wikolia didn't know what else to say on the topic. Kukui's face turned absolutely agrivated.

"She can't openly communicate with others, because her father didn't want her to!?" The rage in his voice made Wikolia flinch. Myna shrugged, indifferent. Nalani quickly took hold of the situation.

"Well dear, we'll have to remedy that little setback faily quickly, but for now, you both have bedrooms I'd like to set you up in, Kukui, those girls of yours were calling earlier, you should head home."

Kukui nodded, and Myna watched him let himself out of the house. "Now Mahina," Nalani clapped her hands together, "you can stay in you're childhood bedroom, and Myna," Myna snapped back to attention, she had been wondering why Wikolia had been called Mahina, "Kukui fixed up the attic just for you, but you can change it up if you want." She motioned to a stairwell between the two downstairs bedrooms, and Myna nodded, moving to make her way up the stairs, suitcase in hand.

"The boxes you both packed should get here this afternoon!" Nalani called after her. Apapane chirped loudly in response. The bird liked to hide in her hair, and Nalani hadn't noticed it. Apapane gave her a start when its loud yell echoed through the house. "Was that an oricorio?"

So that's what Apapane was...

* * *

Myna stood at the top of the stairwell, staring. Wikolia must've said something to Kukui, something about her personality. The min color was purple after all!

the walls were a soft purple, and the comforter, a darker shade. The wood of her bed and desk were a lovely light shade of brown, and beautiful shelves of the same wood lines the wall ajacent to a beautiful looking window. The window was directly opposite to the stairwell, and next to the stairs was a bathroom. On the other side, was a closet. She could close the door leading to the stairs if she wanted.

While the room was bare, it was H-U-G-E! She loved it. Her old room was the size of this room's closet. Apapane chirped happily. Myna moved to the closet while Apapane found a lovely bird-house-stand-thing in the corner near the window. The closet was large, a walk in. She stood the suitcase at the door and moved inside. Shelves, clothes hangars, closet rods, it was a beautiful puzzle of places to put stuff. She didn't have enough clothes to out in here.

She wrote a new pro in her journal after dinner that night, 'my new bedroom.' Then after some more thought, 'new family?"

* * *

The sun wasn't up. Small numbers on the digital clock next to her bed read 4:30 am. So this is what they called jet lag.

Myna decided to make the best of it, and turned on the overhead light. The room was mostly large empty space, filled with clean, new, hardwood flooring. She smiled when she noticed Apapane asleep on the ornate bird area she could only guess was put there by Kukui. She moved into the closet, and opened her suitcase. The walls in the closet were a nice purple, and the shelves were that same wood she had come to love.

She started to hang up the clothes in the case that were still clean. In the purple hamper in the corner, she put the dirty ones.

A dress on the floor length rack, eight shirts hung on a rack above five rows of shelves, four pairs of jeans folded on a shelf below the shirts, shorts on the shelf below. Three pairs of shoes on the bottom shelf, and a pair of boots on the floor under the dress. A blue blanket with brown accents and a diamond pattern she placed on the other side of the closet, which was mostly shelves with one long rack going across the wall in the middle of four shelves above and five below.

Was this a storage closet? The farthest wall from the door had four large shelves that took yp the entire wall. It was a storage closet. Didn't matter, she liked it.

She placed the carry on suitcase standing up, on the bottom shelf, laying on its back, and empty.

When she looked at the clock again, it read 5:12 am. She groaned. Then she began to unpack her backpack. Computer bag, her brain corrected itself, to which, she told it she didn't give a flying banana. Finally she had spent enough time for the sun to start to rise. Thats when she snapped her fingers, and Apapane, who had woken and been watching her unpack, flew and landed on her shoulder. She came downstairs in shorts, a plain purple t-shirt, and a different purple choker, one that had a white talonflame pendent hanging just below the band.

She found Wikolia, Kukui, and Nalani standing and looking at an incredibly large amount of boxes. Kukui turned first, her footsteps being almost completely silent, he was the only one close enough to hear. "Those boxes were late lil cous, but they got here, yeah?" He sounded so excited. Cousin? Is that what he was? Her cousin? Myna looked at the boxes and nodded, slightly uplifted by his enthusiasm.

Kukui clapped his hands, "well, Mahina should figure out what box is what, while Nalani makes breakfast, and I carry the boxes where they need to go."

"When do we get to see that wife of yours, Kuki?" Wikolia once again answered to a name Myna'd never heard before. Kukui shrugged.

"She's already at work, major breakthrough ya know? And I've gotta get this article done in a few days, but," he shrugged, "its almost finished, yeah?" Wikolia nodded.

"Don't order me around boy," there was a mischievous glint in Nalani's eye as she spoke, "I brought you into this world, and I can sure as hell take you out." Wait, this guy was her uncle? Myna stared at Nalani, a blank look on her face as she sorted out that new information. Nalani didn't notice and instead moved into the large kitchen area.

"This one's memory books," Wikolia was looking at the closest box, "they can go in storage I guess." Kukui nodded and set the box near the garage door. "Myna's." Kukui carried the obsurdly heavy box up the stairs. "Mine," box was moved, "Myna's." And the system continued. Myna stopped paying attention to it though, once Nalani placed a plate of food on the table and called her.

For the second time in a row, in the first time in four years, Myna ate food that wasn't prepared by herself. "Anything else you want honey?" Nalani asked, and Myna nodded. "What?" Myna frowned and Nalani came into one of the forst roadblocks Myna faced in her entire life, "food? Is it not enough," Myna shook her head and waved her hand slightly, "it is enough?" Nalani tried to figure it out, and Myna nodded, "a drink?" Myna nodded, "water," she held up a finger, having a sudden idea, "juice," two fingers, "tea," three fingers, "coffee?" Four fingers. Myna held up three fingers. "White, green, black, chai, chamomile?" She held up fingers in the same way, happy to have figured some form of comunication out. Myna held up two fingers. Nalani nodded, placing a hand on her grandaughter's shoulder a moment before going back into the kitchen area.

* * *

It was about lunch time, and Myna was finishing with unpacking. The shelves were a little less bare, and one was completely filled. With rocks. Geodes and quarts and some petrified tree wood maybe, but rocks none the less.

She laughed when she realized that Kukui asked if she had transported rocks halfway across the world while he was carrying that box up.

She literally had.

A large amythest geode stood in the center of that shelf, and she liked the setup. In her old room, the shelf space hadn't been nearly as large.

"Myna!" Wikolia's boice echoed from downstairs, "I'm going into town with Kukui to pick up a few things, come down in the next five minutes if you want to come!" Myna's head shot up and she shared a look with Apapane before rushing down the stairs, Apapane flying after.


	4. BOOM, There's Hau

A/N: I apologize for my horrendous sentence structure, my strongpoint is writing speaches with action packed and attention grabbing statements. That doesnt really translate well to stories like this.

* * *

Hau'oli City was H-U-G-E. Myna stood stock still, Apapane mirroring her on her shoulder, dtaring up at the hight towers and larger buildings. So many glass windows. As the building got farther back from the shoreline, they got taller; as though clammering for some kind of view of the sea. She could even see the entire port from her position. It was just as big, wrapping around the coast of Hau'oli, with boats docked against other boats; there were people walking across boats that weren't theirs, just to get to their own.

House boats, ferry boats, fishing boats, trawlers, glass bottom boats, ships, even the Alolan military had ships docked out there, visible near the horizon. Myna could sit for hours, just looking at the city. So many glass windows, much more stained glass on buildings farther from the coast than nearer, but so much glass regardless. Some looked old, you could tell it was old, by discoloring and uneven texture, but some looked new, sleek and clear. Vibrant colors covered the entire city.

Kukui was getting antsy, "that girl've yours likes the city, yeah?" He asked Wikolia while she tried to attract Myna's attention.

"Yeah..." was her answer, exasperated and tired, like she was holding something back. Kukui noticed, but didn't comment on her ice cold tone. Maybe the Alolan summer would melt it.

When they were finally in the city, Myna walked slowly, slightly behind the adults, looking up at the towering buildings and the beautiful glass built into eloquent structures. Apapane rose its wings slightly, itching to take flight. Myna rose her arm, and the oricorio ran along it and took to the air.

The bird wasn't designed to fly very high, but it flitted among the buildings anyway, gaining height with every draft, the wind strengthened by the channels created by the towering structures.

"Myna, stay close!" She was falling behind again. Myna broke into a run to catch up. Now that she was in the city, she could see how many trees, grassy areas and parks, there were. As though the city, as tall and grand as it was, was one with the nature around it.

Myna loved it, but that part of her, bitter from the complete, and fast, change, reminded her that this wasn't Kanto, wasn't home.

Those thoughts were forgotten when Kukui stopped in front of a lengthy and tall building. Three floors high and close to the coast, the Hau'oli city mall stood. Apapane landed on her shoulder again. Looking at the stained glass on the front of the building with interest. The windows on the front were two stories tall, and beautifully designed, showcasing a view the the ocean floor, a coral reef made entirely from glass.

"A lot of shops are connected to the mall, ya follow?" she realized Kukui was talking, "afternoon weather here is usually rainy, except in the summer." She had learned it was summer here yeasterday... "but tourists still want to shop," he laughed, "and locals do too, yeah?" He swept his hand in front of them motioning to the structure, "so a company from Hoenn monopolized. But the locals vetoed the origional name, so Mauville Alola became the Hau'oli Mall." Kukui took a deep breath and let out a laugh as he lead the girls in, "but they monopolized on that too and built a mall on all four islands, ya follow?"

Myna looked at him confused, but unfortunately, a person's back doesn't have that kind of perseption. Once inside Wikolia looked around, "this place's gotten bigger."

"Well you've been gone more than ten years, sis."

Wait, was he Myna's uncle? Would someone please tell her how this man was related to her!? For the love of Arceus this guessing game was getting ubsurd!

Kukui clapped his hands together, "well, you should go get your buissness done, and I'll take my niece for some shopping!" He seemed so exited, Myna had to smile.

* * *

"Its so lucky your first look at Melemele is in the summer yeah?" Kukui ended all his sentences in questions, so Myna learned to just nod. "Cause the whole rest'o the year's pretty rainy." Myna threw him a questioning glance as they walked through the vast open space of the mall. "We get some crazy monsoon weather, ya follow?" Myna nodded.

"You're gonna need some curtains, yeah?" That was one thing she'd noticed, the window had no curtains, and while they had no neighbors, traveling trainers and kids from around Iki and Hau'oli passed by a lot. She also wanted a rug and some other things for her room. And a tea kettle.

Kukui was becoming perceptive, and noticed the look on her face. "Lets go to some of the home decoration stores, yeah?" Myna's green blue eyes lit up, and she nodded. But flinched slightly when Kukui yelled, "ONWARDS!" and pumped his fist into the air. Some people passing by looked in confusion, but recignozed the man somehow, and went back to what they were doing.

But his exitement was contagious, and Myna felt her stomache flutter. She'd only been to a mall three other times. Her father was kind of stingy with money.

But Kukui looked like a kid in a candy shop. Although he was wearing an old t-shirt and shorts today, his hat was still firmly placed on his head, and his odd white lab coat was still neatly in place.

What on earth did he do for work?

While Kukui jumped around each Isle they walked through, showing her anything that he thought would look nice in the room he had set up for her, Myna took her time, looking at everything, and hyper aware of the pricetags. That is until Kukui caught on, "I forgot to tell ya," there was still a smile on his face, "ya don't really need to look at the prices, we're basically rich."

That was news to her. Myna knew Nalani owned a lot of land but she didn't know the woman had money too. She was coming to the realization that she knew next to nothing about her mother's side of the family. But with Kukui's words, she tried to take them to heart, but still flinched at higher prices, she did find some lovely curtains and a nice circular rug. Also a few picture fames in varying shades of purple and grey, as well as some nice wooden ones.

Next was lunch, and Myna had to admit, she hadn't had this much fun in a very long time.

But how long would it last?

Kukui seemed happy enough, sitting there across from her and eating a burger. She ate hers as well, and wondered what her mother was trying to get done. Once Kukui finished eating, he pat his stomache, "that hits the spot!" Before he turned serious and leaned closer.

"Listen Myna, your mom," he seemed to be struggling with how to word things, "I grew up with her, we were ten minutes apart, but she's still my little sister, and I'm worried about her, ya follow?" His tone was much softer, and Myna found herself wondering why he was talking to her, a thirteen year old mute girl with health issues, about this. She nodded though, and Kukui continued.

"She got herself into a horrid marriage with a gold digger," was her unce refering to her father as a gold digger? "And as it tirned out he had anger issues." Well he wasn't wrong, "she had a tough pregnncy and now she"s sterile." Well that explained her lack of siblings, "and her only child is on the spectrum," well he wasn't wrong, "and glt attacked and rendered mute." Definetly wasn't wrong. "And now, she's going through a nasty divorce and all she's getting from it are her kid, and an old truck that belongs in a dump."

Now that he laid it all out at once, she understood the issue.

"She can't keep going forever." Myna nodded in complete agreement. "You're gonna keep an eye on her, yeah?" Myna nodded with a small smile. Kukui smiled, and clapped his hands, "now," his tone was much happier "how are you liking Alola?"

How in the name of Arceus was she going to answer that? Was Kukui crazy?

"I see you two are getting along well." Her mother's voice came from directly behind her.

She took it back, this man was a genius.

* * *

"There's a festival up in Iki town tonight." Kukui was putting that random wagon he'd bought to good use, and carrying the things they'd bought, while talking both of his companions ears off. "It'd be a good chance for Myna to get out and meet people, yeah?"

Wikolia didn't answer for a moment, and Kukui threw her a goance that myna didn't quite catch. "Yeah, she should go, she'll probably have some fun." She seemed happy, but Myna caught the odd moroseness under the surface.

"It starts in a couple hours, how bout I drop by and grab Myna after dinner, yeah?" Kukui didn't push his sister, but he was worried.

Nalani made a nice dinner, consisting completely of foods Myna had never seen before, and rice. Kukui tried again to get Wikolia to come, before closing the door behind him.

A pretty woman was waiting for them. "You must be Myna, and Apapane." The woman made sure to greet her pokemon as well as herself, "I'm Burnet, your uncle!s wife," she laughed, "so I'm technically your Aunt." The woman, Burnet, threw a glance behind her, "I wanted you to meet Lillie, but she ran off ahead." Myna nodded, tightening her grip on her journal and pencil.

Kukui walked ahead of them slightly, talking their ears off, "your grandpa bought all this land from some contractors, and its been in the family ever since, yeah, but its not privatized, we let pretty much anyone run around on it, ya follow?"

Myna nodded even though his back was turned. They continued their treck uphill until until lights and booths began to dot the landscape.

"Welcome to Iki Town." Kukui laughed.

It was small and quaint. Houses littered the platau, and some shops near the middle. A dark wood had been used in all the structures, and a large house stood close to the middle of the plaza. There was a ring area of uplifted light wood surrounded by people, and it seemed a pokemon battle was taking place there. Cheers and yells drifted over. The whole place was so loud.

And surrounded by the beatiful view of the Island below, and above, it was built into the side of a steep hill, and the ocean around. The other Alolan islands were in view in the distance. "Here, you should have some spending money, lots of great merchants come to this festival every year, Lillie wanted to look at the art." Before Myna could try to protest, Kukui dropped a large amount of money into her hands, grabbed his wife's hand, and disapeared into the crowd.

Myna had never been alone somewhere like this.

She had never been anywhere like this.

Quickly she stowed her money into her bag, and looked to Apapane for guidance. The bird squacked happinly and took off, leaving her to deal with the crowd alone. Later she would realize the pokemon was trying to help her, by throwing her into the fire, but for now, she threw a dirty look in the birds direction and looked around. Kukui was right, some of the booths looked nice.

She started towards one, but almost imidietly, a kid with weird looking hair and orange shorts came bowling towards her. He noticed her, but too late, "I'M SOOOORRRRRYYYYYYYYY-" and he ran smack into her, ending with both of them on the ground.

"Ohmygosh I'm so sorry, are you okay!?" He helped her off the ground, "I'm sorry," he apologized again, "my name's Hau."


	5. The Festival

This boy, Hau, stared at her, waiting for her to answer. She stared back at him. Even Apapane came back, landing on her head lightly. Hau's attention was quickly caught by the pokemon. "Whoa! You've got a pokemon!? I'm getting one tonight, from my grandpa!" He switched into Alolan for a couple of sentences, and Myna stared at him blankly. Hau stared back. Then he realized.

"Oh, you're haole, I'm sorry," Hau apologized again. Myna chalked it up to him being flustered. He had nocked her clear off her feet. "What's your name? I mean I told you mine so it's only fair, yeah?" Myna nodded and went to open her journal, but it wasn't there. Frantically, she looked around.

"What's up, ya lose something?" She ran forward a couple paces, "what're-" picked up her journal and flipped it open to a sentence, prewritten on the inside cover of her journal. Hau squinted, "Uh, I'm sorry, but I can't read Kantonian..." Myna blinked at him, frustration lining her eyes. "Uh, are you okay?"

Myna pointed up at Apapane, who squacked in annoyance. She smacked the bird lightly, and the bird stomped on her, in retaliation. After that though, it hopped onto her now outstretched arm and focused it's attention on the now thoroghly confused Hau. "You don't talk much, do you?"

"Hello there." It sounded like a parrot.

Hau jumped back, "Holy banana!" He turned to Myna, "your bird talks!?"

"its chatter." The bird corrected him.

"Oricorio can't learn chatter."

"Myna watched much tv."

"What does tee-vee mean?" Hau was by no means fluent in Kantonian. But he did manage to get Myna. "Your name's Myna? That's Alolan! Do you speak Alolan!?"

The bird tilted it's head. "Myna no speak!"

"What?"

"My help is done."

"Wait, WHAT!?"

"Good bye." And Apapane took flight again.

Myna threw an angry look at the bird's retreating form.

"Okay," Kantonian was Hau's second language, so as he worked around that, he tried to figure Myna out. "So, your name's Myna, yeah?" Myna nodded, "and you don't talk?" Another nod, "so you do talk?" Hau tried to clarify his question in his own language, with the second wording, and Myna shook her head. "Why don't you talk?"

That question made somethinig in Myna's heart jump. Her fingers flew to the choker she wore. Hau took notice of her sudden discomfort. He jumped and waved his hands frantically, "hey, hey you don't got to tell me!" Myna smiled slightly, "so..." Hau shuffled his feet slightly, and looked up at her, "are you visiting Alola?"

Myna froze a moment, before shrugging. It was complicated. Hau squinted, "okay then..." maybe he worded his sentence wrong? "So if you no visiting, than you live here?" Myna made a so-so motion with her hand. Hau nodded while still being very confused.

"Well, Myna the not-visiting, would you like to be friends?" He smiled, teeth showing, with his hands on his hips. He looked so confident, and he was so nice.

Myna nodded.

Her first human friend.

Hau looked so excited, much like how Kukui acted. It must be an Alola thing. Almost at once, he took her wrist, and lead her through the crowd, "I wanna show you all the stuff here! I'll bet you've never been to one of these," he turned to look at her, and for a moment, walked backwards, "I would've totally met you before if you had, yeah?" Myna smiled in response. Hau turned back around to lead her to the bpoths on the other side of the walk. Myna threw one last look at Apapane, playing with other pokemon in the trees, before allowing this new friend, Hau, to lead her.

* * *

"I would totally love to see how you taught a pokemon that can't learn chatter, well, chatter!" Hau was talking Myna's ear off, occasionally reverting to Alolan, which Myna still couldn't understand. "Here!" Hau suddenly seemed even more excited.

Which Myna didn't think was possible. She threw him a questioning glance.

"This is where the festival officially begins." Hau motioned around them with his hands.

Myna swept her gaze around. They were on a hill, on the farthest most outskirts of the town. She could see the entire festival below. She could see Kukui and Burnet dancing in an area near some musical artists. The music was so loud, and so pretty, she could hear it from up here. She had heard it all the way below at her home too, but up here, it was so beautiful.

The booths, they arched downwards from this spot, circled the battle area, and ended near the lowest elevation of the town.

The stars littered the sky, the only time she had seen more was- never. She had never seen more. "Historically, the festival would begin here," Hau's voice had changed, become more melodic. He seemed in his element, showing Myna the area. "So, I have three hours before I the cememonious begins, so if you want, I can be a translatasaur, yeah?" Hau was suddenly a little less confident, and a little more... hopeful?

After figuring out what Hau was trying to say, Myna laughed, and nodded. Hau's uncomfortable exterior melted away in an instant, and he laughed, "good! Cause most people in Iki've never spoken Kantonian in their lives!" He laughed again, and led the girl to the first booth, at the very top of the hill.

Three hours later, Hau had face paint and an odd looking snack, and Myna had flowers in her hair, a matching snack, and a bag of cute shelf objects. They stood near the circular pokemon ring, while a battle came to its end. A large and old man, in odd clothing, came walking forwards. "Now," his voice boomed out across the night, and Myna was sure that people could hear it all the way in Hau'oli, "the free battle's have come to an end." His strong words reverberated across the ocean.

Myna threw Hau a questioning glance, but he wasn't paying attention, so she poked him. "Huh?" He turned to look at her, questioning, "yeah?" She pointed up at the man, a look of confusion. "Oh, that's Hala, the Island Kahuna, he's the strongest and most experienced person here, and chosen by the tapu."

What the heck was a tapu?

"He's also my grandpa!" Hau looked so proud. Myna looked back up atthe man as he continued speaking. "Melemele Island is small, we don't have large groups of similar aged children here, however," omce again, his voice echoed, "this year we have more than usual, six! We also have a returning member of our islamd family, the daughter of Kawikani has returned, with her own daughter, who is of age tonight!" Cheers erupted. And Kukui suddenly appeared beside the man, and whispered into his ear, "unfortunately, she is not feeling well tonight, so only the daughter of Wikolia will appear." He spread his hand out, an open handed strike.

"So, with that, let me begin." Each time he spoke, he said first in Alolan, then in Kantonian, as it was the language spoken most comonly by tourists. Drums were heard, their deep and thunderous roar echoeing around the entire town, and filling the whole island with their beat.

"Tonight!" The drums faded slightly, their beat still present, the rythm paliable, vibrating through the ground, and into the pwople surrounding, "hundred of years ago, our great gaurdian, our protector, our tapu, saved us!" The drums let out a particularly loud beat, "by battling with its siblings, the monster of the clouds, of the bright sky tear!" Drum, da dam duuum! Growing louder before fading into sudden silence.

"The people of Alola decided on that day, to repay their tapus, with these celebrations!" Without missing a beat, he continued, "at the foor of the path to their resting places, we hold battles for them to witness, we show them new friendships that will blossom, and we demonstrate the power they helped us to attain!" Cheers erupted once again, and the drums beat loudly before fading into their quiet rythm.

"Tonight, seven thirteen year olds will begin new relationships. With pokemon, with people, and with the world!" Let the ceremony begin!" The drums beat their loudest before stopping all together, a flute begining its high pitched and melodic tune instead.

"First, we have Malacai, son of the newcomer Mickey, first generation." A thirteen year old came running up, and three pokemon ran from somewhere Myna didn't quite catch. Myna watched in confusion, waiting for something to happen. "In most regions, you choose your partner, but here, as much as you choose them, they must choose you!"

Malacai stepped forwards, and Hau whispered, "his parents're Haole, but he grew up here, he's really nice." Myna nodded. He bent down to look at the pokemon. One imidietly moved away. "It's always hard to get the trust of a litten, but popplio is hardest."

Myna had no idea what that meant. Which was the litten and which was the popplio? The child ended up choosing a bird pokemon. Hau called it a Rowlet. "They trust easily, but becoming friends with one is really hard."

Myna nodded, she was still confused as to why the kahuna had called out her family. They watched four more thirteen year olds go up and choose pokemon. Three got a rowlet, and one got a litten. None got a popplio.

"Now for a moment I've been waiting for for thirteen years!" There was a twinkle in the kahuna's eye, and he spoke with a sense of great pride, "my grandson, sole decendant, is of age to recieve his own partner!" He gave a similar sentence about the insights of each child's family. Hau practically shoved the remainder of his snack, he called it a malasada, into Myna's hands and took off.

He walked up the steps to the stage in a way that remindedMyna of those characters in a movie, the ones who lived their whole lives waiting for that moment, walking as though each step bore a memory leadng them forwards. Even though all Hau had to do to gethere, was survive.

Hau moved slowly past his grandfather. He walked towards all three of the available pokemon, litten immidietly moved away. Myna found herself holding her breath. Which was ubsurd, she'd barely met the boy, and now she was cheering him on.

Her heart plummeted when the rowlet turned as well. The flute let out a particularly piercing shriek. Myna glanced at the kahuna. He had a contemplative look on his face. Hau took note quickly though, and locked eyes with the popplio. If this one turned as well, Hau would have to wait another year.

Hau knelt down calmly, and the crowd grew silent. No one had gotten a popplio in over three years. He kept eye contact with the small pokemon, and held out a hand, making sure to keep the other in sight as well. Apapane landed on Myna's shoulder, and she stroked it absentmindedly as she watched the thirteen year old.

The popplio moved forwards tentatively, and sniffed his hand, all the while watching Hau warily. It licked Hau, testing the boy's resolve. Hau stayed calm, his breathing steady as he watched the pokemon's movement, tracking its mood with carefully practiced skill.

Slowly the pokemon nudged its nose against Hau's hand, then leaped forwards, Hau moving quickly to catch it. He had earned its trust. He had chosen the popplio. The crowds cheered so loudly that Myna clapped her hands to her ears. Hau moved off the stage and stood nearby as the kahuna began to announce the last child.

"With that grand spectacle, we have our last child," Myna looked around for another child making their way forwards, "Myna Pilikia, daughter of Wikolia Pilikia, and grandaughter of Kawikani Pilikia, born in Kanto, has come home to Alola!" There was a lot of clapping, but Myna was so confused, and completely lost. "Assuming Kukui remembered to fill his niece in, she should be coming onto the stage right about now." The flute cut out and Myna swore she could hear crickets.

"Uh yeah, I forgot to tell her..." Kukui's voice was pretty loud... "heya Myna, sorry bout that, but could ya come on up to the stage now?" Myna threw apapane a glance, and the bird once again flew off.

Whispers began to fill the crowd as she moved forwards.

"She's Haole..."

"Wikolia's daughter's a foreigner?"

"Where is Wikolia?"

And those were the only ones she understood. The rest were in Alolan. She couldn't hope to understand them, but Hau looked surprised as he watched her, then glared out at the crowd as he understood their words. The Popplio in his arms looked just as angry.

Those stepps onto the ring were so nerve wracking, what she would give for Apapane to not be so wishy washy. Kukui was whispering apologies only loud enough for her to hear. But all she saw, was the three pokemon, right in front of her.

* * *

A/N: hey. So this semester of school is starting up, so my updates should be even more spiratic than they were before. Sorry in advance. Feel free to leave a review. In fact, please leave a review.

Thanks for reading, Walelu, OUT!


	6. An Admitted Filler Chapter

So, I have an idea of what I'm going to do with the characters, so exposition should be coming to an end in the next couple of chapters. Enjoy, and please drop a review! Also, if anyone wants to point out a mistake, they'll be dually noted and most likely changed.

* * *

Many Alolan children were given pokemon before their starters. It was one of a few regions without an age limit for training. Because it was a small island region, it was surrounded by opposing regions, not part of the alliance. In fact, there were only a few allied regions. Most other places were hostile, and a lot didn't even call themselves regions. Alola was trying to leave. People from other regions, unhappy with their government, were fleeing to Alola before they did so.

Alola had a strong military, sure. But with so many enemies from all around, dangerous people slipped through the cracks. As a result, the people here needed to learn to defend themselves. Weapons were legal almost everywhere, children were raised alongside the pokemon they would later train, teachers at school had strong pokemon and pistols for defending their students, and most kids knew the workings of guns before they were even twelve.

But some children from poorer families fell through the cracks. These were the children the Kanhunas worked to keep safe. They trained starters for the key point of their future trainer's safety. They were much stronger than other regions' starters. They needed to be. Alola was dangerous. Beautiful, but so very dangerous. Because of the few, kahunas worked to protect the many, and every child on their island, and even the smaller surrounding minor islands, recieved a well trained protector on their thirteenth year. They all recieved it on the same day. Even children registered just days before as Alolan were privy to this ceremony.

And that's how Myna found herself here.

She just wished someone would've warned her about it though.

She stared atthe three pokemon, and Hau's words echoed in her mind. Popplios are hardest. She tried to meet the popplio's eyes, but it wasn't having it. Neither was the litten. What had Hau done?

Knelt down.

She tried the same.

The one that moved towards her was honestly what she expected. The Rowlet moved towards her apprehensively. She smiled at it. Those Rowlet, Hau had said, they got sensitive ears, well sound holes, you can teach 'em without sayin' any thing.

Rowlet tilted its head. Myna did the same. The crowd around her seemed to fade into the background. It was just her, and the rowlet. She held out a hand, like she'd seen so many of the other kids do, moving slowly, and keeping the eye contact. The bird sniffed it. Then, it jumped onto her arm, the quick movement scaring her half to death.

It sniffed her arm as its feet curled around it. Then it lifted its wings and let out a happy cawing sound.

Cheers broke out. They startled Myna, and the rowlet too, it seemed.

Did that mean the rowlet had chosen her?

The pokemon seemed pretty happy, even as she stood up, perched on her arm and rearranging the feathers on its wing. If she looked up, she would see Apapane, circling above her, looking somewhat jealous. "And that ends this ceremony," the Kahuna's words rang theough the air, "we thank all visitors to Alola for coming ot tonight, but now for the Alolan exclusic tournament, feel free to watch, but not Alolan trainers are prohibited from taking part!" With that, he stopped translating each sentence into Kantonian before going to the next. Myna no longer understood a word.

She made her way off the stage though, and with no where else to go, she found herself in front of Hau. "Isn't it exitment!?" Hau's Kantonian needed some work, "my first pokemon! I always worked with my grandpa's, but its just not the same!" Myna nodded, and Apapane landed roughly on her head, causing the little rowlet to squack in surprise. Myna let out an "aack" sound, but only with the sounds possibly made without use of vocal cords.

"You and your oricorio have a weird relationboat." Hau looked a tad worried when she made the sound, but now just gave her an odd look. Myna shrugged.

"Yo Myna, congratulations!" Kukui was running towards her, he stopped next to Hau. Hau stared at him, confusion littering his face. "I'm so sorry! I can't believe I forgot to tell you! But it all turned out, yeah?" Myna squinted at him, but nodded slightly. Kukui turned to Hau, he spoke in Alolan, but Myna managed to catch her name.

"Yeah, I met her," Hau seemed to realize that, and brought her into the conversation. Kukui switched languages as well without missing a beat.

"Lillie got tired and decided to head back with Burnet, so Myna, if you want to see the tournament, then we can stay, but if not, we can head back whenever, ya follow?"

Myna nodded. She pointed down the pathway towards Hau'oli. "Ya wanna go back yeah?" He recieved a nod and turned to Hau. "Well Hau, if ya wanna come and pick up that package tomorrow, I'll be around, yeah?"

"Yeah that'd be great! Thanks professor!" He waved and both said their goodbyes. Myna smiled at him and waved, and Hau yelled, "Alola Myna!"

* * *

When she got home, snoring could be heard from her mother's bedroom. Nalani could be seen, sitting on the couch, with a steaming cup of tea, watching the news.

"Yo ma!" Kukui called, then in a string of Alolan, explained he was dropping off Myna before calling, "Alola!" And closing the screen behind him.

That was a weird thing Myna'd noticed. Everyone here had screens and never closed their doors or windows unless it rained. The clock hanging on the kitchen read ten thirty. "Did you enjoy the frstival, Myna?" Nalani tirned to fce her grandaughter. Myna nodded. Apapane screeched, and the little rowlet flinched away from the lithe red bird still perched on the redhead's skull. The small green pokemon hopped out of her arms and sat on her foot. Myna threw an annoyed look up at Apapane. The bird looked proud of itself.

"I see you made a new friend." The woman had stood and moved to the kitchen, motioning for Myna to follow. Myna picked up the baby bird and made her way into the kitchen area. "I made sleepy tea," the older woman laughed, "its what I call chamomile." She turned to Myna with something that made the girl's breath hitch, a kettle, "want some?"

Myna nodded. And Nalani began pouring some tea into a cup, talking all the while, "milk's a tad rare here, so we use coconut milk instead." She handed the girl some tea and moved to the fridge. Apapane moved from Myna's head to the table. The little Rowlet stuck close to Myna.

"Your mother seems to be coming down with something-you can put your bags on the counter 'till you head up- so I was thinking, how about I start teaching you Alolan tomorrow? Once you understand a word, I'll teach you the sign?" The woman put something into the microwave as Myna sat at the table. She turned to her grandaughter for an answer.

Myna nodded, exitement lining her blue-green eyes.

The microwave beeped and a minute later, Myna and her pokemon were eating a late night meal. Nalani seemed to be good enoutgh at talking to herself. Myna enjoyed the stories, and plain-out-tangents the woman would go on about. The redhead was actually disapointed when the woman sent her off to her room for the night.

Myna and the two pokemon moved up the stairs, the rowlet trying to help with a small bag myna had given him, and Apapane being completely useless. Once in her room, Apapane flew over to the large structure, and perched at the very top, preening.

The little rowlet ran around Myna's room, searching every corner. Myna set the bags on her bed and took out the new pokeball she'd recieved. She placed it on her desk, next to an old pokeball, with pretty little doodles etched all over it. The rowlet ran into her bed post.

Apapane squacked, laughing. Myna threw it an angry look and shushed it loudly. Apapane quieted imidietly, and preened at a slower pace, hiding its embarrassment. She picked the little bird up and placed it on her bed, next to the bags. She took a pretty looking box out of the first bag.

The moment she put the bag back onto the bed, two things happened. She started to put the box onto a shelf, and the rowlet got the bag stuck on its head. Myna turned around in time to see the bird start to struggle. She gasped and ran back over.

She ripped the bag off its head and the little green bird gasped for air. She threw it a look that just screamed, 'really?' The bird chirped and made a shrugging motion with its wings. She sighed and picked up the bird again. She carried it over to the structure, and set it inside a soft cocoon-like tunnel. The little bird cooed in happiness, and burrowed in.

Myna smiled and moved back to her bed to finish putting away her new objects. Maybe tomorrow she would learn some Alolan.


	7. Pokedex Pondering

Myna made her way downstairs late in the morning. The first thing she saw was a note, written in Kantonian, but not her mother's handwriting. "I am so sorry Myna, I had to run to Panolia, Akala, it was an emergency. Your mother and I should be back later today. But because I expect you to explore, here are some important words you should know."

The note went on to give Myna the way a few words sounded, and show them in Alolan symbols. "Have fun sweetie, and if you see your uncle, say Alola for me!" It was signed Nalani. Under the note was some soending money and a map of the island. A few places had Xs on them, and Myna guessed those were places to avoid.

Welp. Guess she knew what she was going to do.

She whistled loudly. Apapane came flying down, answering the call. The little rowlet came tumbling down the stairs, trying to follow the red bird. It seemed, the rowlet looked up to Apapane.

She knew what she was going to name it. She bolted up the stairs, getting dressed quickly, and grabbing her bag. She pulled her pokedex out of it. It was a seventh gen, developed by a professor in Unova with the help of professor Oak. It was all the rage in Kanto though. She noticed, not a lot of people in Alola had pokedexes, it was weird.

Just as expected though, the rowlet was already half registered, waiting for a name. She typed in the language she was using, Eirian, then the name, Beag. "Beag." The pokedex read out, its mechanical voice sounding odd. Rowlet had registered in her pokedex. Alola was odd, they didn't have a pokedex version like other regions. Any pokemon caught here, would register manually. There wasn't information on them already.

Despite that, Myna smiled. Then she dropped the pokedex back into her bag, and ran back down the stairs. Apapane took off out the window, the bird had been doing that a lot lately. Apapane had always been fairly independent though.

In contrast, Beag rolled his pokeball over to her, then poked its activation button, dissapearing inside. Myna stared at it in pure confusion. As though she expected the little bird to pop backout,she bent down slowly to pick up the little ball. She pressed the button and held down, shrinking the object.

She put it into the same pocket as her pokedex. Slowly, she made her way to the front door. Maybe she could go to Hau'oli? They had a cool music store, she'd noticed. But Iki had a unique one, with odd instruments she'd never seen before. And frustratingly, she hadn't been able to find her flute. Myna desperately hoped it hadn't been lost in the move.

She closed the door behind her, and debated which direction to take. Hau'oli was closer, but the way to Iki was pretty.

Iki it is.

She walked along the path, worn by passerbys, even though it was owned by her family. People were allowed on it, as long as they didn't vandalize. All around her was an array of vibrant colors, from deep greens to the rainbow of plants. The whole place just looked so... different.

Beautiful, definetly, but it was just so different. At home, people, pale and often freckled, stuck out from nature, but here, in order to stick out like the natives, you had to be tan, dark skinned, with dark colored hair. Not to mention a lot of people like Hau had green tints in their hair. Myna might be half Alolan, but her coloring blended in with the area, the pale, freckled, redhead felt right at home, blending in with her surroundings. Pokemon didn't seem bothered by her pressence. She looked like she was a part of the nature. Maybe that was why people had to have pokemon with them, she thought, because they were meant to stand out in their homes.

Weird.

Either way, halfway to Iki, she ran into Hau. Literally. Only this time, he didn't see her in time to shout.

"E kala mai iaʻu! Ua kaumaha loa wau!" Then he noticed who it was, "Ohmygosh! I am so sorry!" Myna waved her hand, silently telling him that it was nothing as he helped her off the ground. Again.

"I was on my way to Kukui's, where're you going?" Myna pointed towards Iki. Hau tilted his head, "to shop?" Myna shrugged. "Is it important? Cause if you want, ya can come on down to Kukui's with me? I mean... if you want to?" Myna stared at him thinking for a moment. Then she shrugged. She was kinda curious about her uncle's home. She shrugged again and tried out the sign her grandmother had explained to her. Yes.

"Are you trying to sign 'yes?' Cause that would make more sense than what you actually said..." Hau made a sign that looked just a tad different than Myna had made. She mimicked it. "There ya go. Try not to make that first one again..." she stared at him, and squinted slightly. He met her gaze. "No I'm not saying it." Then he started down the hill again, "ya coming?" He called when Myna didn't move. He tirned to look, and she made the sign he'd showed her. And ran to catch up.

"Kukui lives right on the beach! Its really awesome! His house is so... whats the word?" Hau stopped talking moment and thought. He even muttered something in Alolan before, "Unique!" He held his pointer finger upwards as he said it, having remembered the word. Myna laughed, the sound soft but merry little more than a breath.

* * *

Myna didn't quite know what to expect out of Kukui's house.

But it wasn't this.

"The teacher studies pokemon moves." Was Kukui a teacher? Did he work at a school? Myna really wanted to ask... she started to dig for her journal, before remembering Hau's words when he first met her. 'I can't read Kantonian symbols...' her journal would be useless...

Either way, kukui's house looked like it had been hit by a hurricane, a beedrill hive, thirty miltank, and maybe an earthquake or two. In short, it was a bit of a fixerupper. A sign hung up on the front, saying something in Alolan lettering.

A loud crash came from somewhere behind the tinted screen door. Hau didn't seem the leat perturbed. Myna threw him a confused look.

"He studies pokemon moves, what do you expect?" She stared at him. Then it clicked.

Her uncle wasn't a teacher, he was a professor.

A feild professor...

That explained a few things.

Hau moved towards the door. Then he just opened the screen. Like it was his own home! Myna ran after him. Was Hau crazy!? You don't just walk into a random home! Especially not one without a red sign on the front! There was nothing to show that this house, Kukui's apparently, was open to travelers! Was this a thing that people just DID!? Was this a thing in Alola!?

APARENT-FLIPPING-LY!

Hau was about to close the screen, before he remembered "Ya coming Myna?"

That proved it. These passed few days, she had been wandering through a fog. Trapped in her own mind so to speak. Now she was officially a fish out of water. She felt all prevoncieved notions about her life break like glass and fall to the ground around her. This was a minor thing, she knrw dep down. It shouldn't have blown her mind this much. But in reality, she'd been teetering on the edge of this cliff for years, so long that this was just the tiny little microscopic straw, that broke her freaking mind. Her whole life was a blank slate now, and she had no idea what she was doing anymore.

She left the scattered shards of herself on the sand, to be washed away by the high tide waves, and ran through the screen door, still without invitation of the owner of the house.

Kukui was taping something back onto the wall. Upon closer inspection, Myna realized that IT WAS THE WALL! She stared, completely dumbfounded.

Now really wasn't the time, but she really wanted to do something weird and out of the ordinary right now.

Was she having a mental breakdown?

Can a thirteen-year-old have one of those!?

"Alola Kukui! I found Myna on the way down!" He waved his arms as though he was presenting the girl. She waved slightly, looking a little, or intensely, flustered. But mostly completely unsure of what was happening.

Kukui just flipping rolled with it!

"Great! The girls had ta run on to Panolia this morning so I was told to check on you in a few hours, guess I don't gotta do that no more, yeah?"

Was this man really a professor?

Myna nodded.

"So Hau, that package arrived, and I already put it into the pokedex for you. His name's Rotom."

"Zzzzrrrrttt." A mechanical sound echoed through the air, and Hau looked even more exited. "Alola." That was all Myna understood because the rest of what the strange-floating-object-with-eyes said was in Alolan. Hau spoke bck to it in Alolan, and Myna just stared, a small smile showing how freaking lost she was.

Then Hau called out his poplio from its pokeball, and both he, the object, and Kukui spoke in Alolan for a few minutes. Then Hau took his orange backpack off his back and opened the largest pocket. "Alola Hau." The object jumped into the bag, and STOPPED GLOWING!?

You know what? Myna just didn't care anymore. Well that, and she really felt that she needed to learn Alolan.

"So Myna," Kukui spoke Kantonian, thank Arceus, "you have a pokedex, yeah?" She nodded, and pulled hers out. If what had floated, glowed, and spoke to Hau had been a pokedex, then she liked her in-adamant dex better. "Give it to me a moment and I'll connect it to Hau's, yeah?" She nodded again and tookout the object. Kukui turned it on, and flipped through the settings.

He handed the object back to her, and Myna stared at it. Then she bagan flipping through the new app she had.

"Why don't you two go on up past Iki, I think Lillie's up there, and you've," he pointed to Myna, "still not met her, ya follow?"

"That'll be so much fun!" Hau, without thinking, yelled "Alola!" And ran out the door, dragging Myna with him.

"Alola!" Kukui's voice echoed after them.

Hau and Myna were up in Iki within twenty minutes.

"Hey, didn't you wanna see the shops?" Hau asked her, his gray eyes boring into her blue-green ones. Myna looked around. They were in the center plaza. To the left, were houses, to the right, shops. She could see the music shop, and she pointed towards it.

"You wanna go to Nā Mele?"

Myna nodded, and Hau shrugged. She began towards it, and he followed. Upon enterence into the building, a pan flute could be heard, coming from a child in the corner. Odd intruments were everywhere, the building was filled to the brim with them. "Alola!" Hau called.

"Hau? Alola?" An old man came out of literally nowhere, and began speaking to Hau in Alolan.

Hau turned to Myna, "this is Ka Mea Kahiko Mele. I think it's old man Music, in Kantonian?" Myna stared at him. "What, mine means snow, and yours literally is an extinct pokemon species."

That, she did not know.

She nodded slowly, taking in that information.

"He doesn't know any Kantonian, so if you need anything, let me translate, yeah?" Myna nodded with a smile. She looked around the store and saw what she'd been looking for for years. Every region had their own kinds of flutes. She had a few kantonian, and now an Alolan one, but for so long, she'd been looking for an old style Eirian flute. Here one was, sitting on a stand, its shiny metal glinting off the light from the large screened windows. And she had more than enough money for it. She inhaled sharply and ran to find Hau.

"You want a whistle?" Hau stared at her skeptically. She glared at him, but nodded. Hau yelled for old man Music. And explained. The man looked thorogly annoyed and muttered something. Hau turned back to Myna. "Apparently it's a flute. I thought it was a whistle with a lot o'holes." Myna glared at him. "Oh that's what that look was for..." he turned back to the man. They had a lengthy conversation. Then Hau turned to Myna. "He'll sell it for 376."

That was news. The origional price was 600. She wished she cared more. Either way, she handed Hau the coins. Hau completed the transaction. "Alola, Ka Mea Kahiko Mele!" A slightly annoyed response came from the man before the two thirteen year olds left through the screen door.

"So, you know how to play that thing?" Hau asked as Myna fiddled with the object. She looked up at him before blowing into it.

A shrill, somewhat painful sound blew from the object.

"Is that a yes or a no?" Myna made the yes sign.

"Why didn't you just say that in the first place!?" She shrugged before going up the scale with the flute. The two made their wayback through town before reaching a trail head. "You'll totally love the ruins."

Myna wasn't aware that there were ruins anywhere on this island. Maybe she should research it. She needed to unpack her computer anyways.

Hau lead her up theough the nice and well kept trail. The pokemon could be heard on both sides, and Myna had to admit, she liked the sounds. So with the Eirian flute, on a nice matching chain, hanging around her neck, she walked along, feeling at one with the world around her.

Wow, she really had gone mental. "Is that-" Hau stopped asking the question, there was a girl, about their age, with an odd looking pokemon, trapped on a breaking bridge, with angery spearow all around, "it is!" He took off running, "LILLIE!"

What?

* * *

A/N: HEYOH! So seriously, anyone got any opinions on me translating some of my pokespe oneshots into spanish? I mean I live in California, more people speak spanish than english here. You think that's a joke, but it really isn't. Oh well.

If you liked this chapter, leave a review. Please? The flute Myna bought is an Irish style flute, kind of like an Irish penny whistle. In Alola it's pretty common to haggle over prices. Especially if they aren't posted on the object. Hau's like, scary good at it. Its probably his secret ability

Until next time, ALOLA!


	8. Hau gains, Hala loses

Hau was running across the broken bridge, yelling in Alolan, and shooing away the birds. Myna stood at the edge of the cliff, watching. She couldn't put more weight on the failing structure. Hau got to the blonde girl and yelled something loud in Alolan. The birds squacked, and Hau glared at them.

They stopped attacking. The little pokemon with the girl disapeared into her bag. Hau helped her up. He started helping her pick their way back to the side of the cliff.

Myna looked down. The river, so far down, rushed by, it looked like it could destroy a tracktor trailer in half a second. She didn't know how Hau did it, but he managed to get himself and the girl... halway across. The bridge snapped. The girl screamed, Hau yelled in surprise. Then they shot downwards.

Before Myna could do anything, a bright yellow light appeared from the other side of the chasm. It was so bright, she had to close her eyes. Even behind her eyelids, the brightness burned. Then, in an instant, it was gone.

She forced her eyes open. Hau was sitting on the ground. Held tightly in his arms was the little blond. Her eyes were still squeazed shut. Hau spoke softly to her in Alolan. She opened her eyes slightly, before finishing the motion, and taking in the world around her. Myna ran over to help them up. Hau allowed her to do that, while Lillie shifted into a sitting position.

Hau was preoccupied, however. Something was clutched in his left fist, and he whispered, "I ka Tapu..." Myna stared at him.

What?

Hau seemed to snap out of whatever haze he was trapped in, and asked the girl something in Alolan. She nodded. Hau then turned to Myna. "This is Lillie, she speaks like six languages, but for some reason, Kantonian isn't one of them..." he threw Lillie an odd look, and she dquinted at him in return. "Lillie, e hui i Myna." He motioned to Myna this time, and Myna waved awkwardly. Lillie waved back, just as awkwardly. Then she spoke in Alolan, quietly, almost unsure of herself. She glanced at Hau, who realized, and scrambled to translate.

"She says she saw you at the festival and congrats on getting the rowlet. And she wants to know if you named it." Myna's eyes lit up in exitement, and she dug out her pokedex. She flipped it to the owned pokemon tab and handed it to the blonde, Lillie.

"Beag? Eirian?" She then asked something in Eirian, an incredibly rare language. Both other pre-teens stared at her, and she muttered something else in Eirian.

"So on that note card," Hau had to meen simply 'note', "I gotta go find my grandpa!" He explained it to Lillie in Alolan and ran off.

"KALI! HAU!" The panic in Lillie's voice was paliable. She turned to Myna, and for a moment the two stared at one another. Then, Lillie noticed the flute. She inhaled sharply, and dug a flute of her own out of her bag. She held it up for Myna to see, before playing a note. Myna laughed and matched the note.

* * *

Kahuna Hala stood in front of a strange pokemon in the ruins of the tapu. "What does that mean?" His Alolan speech was stuttered, slow and nervous. "Hau can't be the chosen one, he's- he's all I got left! You can't choose him!"

"The choice is made, my chosen one. I chose you to protect the island. I promised you, your offspring would protect the world."

"You already took my daughter, her brothers, her husband!" Hala fell to his knees, "you can't take him as well!"

"If I am correct, than he will not be alone." And with that, in a bright burst of light, Tapu Coco was off to reacue two children from a broken bridge.

* * *

"Grandpa!?" Hau ran into the huge house boardering the plaza. He lived there, he knew all the places to look. "You'll never guess what happened!" He spoke rapidly in Alolan, his exitement rang through the building.

"Hau, calm yourself, Hala has gone to see the guardian." Hau turned, his aunt stood there, the wife of his deceased uncle, she stuck with Hala. She had no where else to go.

"What do you mean? The bridge broke though."

"Hala will be fine, he should be back any minute."

The moment the words left her mouth, the door opened, "Hau!?"

"In here grandpa!"

Hala ran into the room, looking somewhat terrified. "The bridge collapsed, where were you!?"

"Uh..." Hau's eyes darted back and forth, "on the bridge?"

"Are you insane!? What happened!?"

"The tapu, the guardian saved me!" He showed his grandfather the rock he'd been holding, had he been less exited, he would have seen the horror light his grandfather's face, "it gave me this!" Hala inhaled sharply. Hau was having the greatest day of his life, but this might be Hala's worst.

* * *

Lillie and Myna sat, for a couple hours, in the plaza of Iki town, plying their flutes. They didn't share a common language, so all they did was play.

"Lillie! Myna!" Both girls stopped playing, and looked up. Hau was running towards them, looking exited enough to explode. "nānā! Look!" He gushed in Alolan for a second before, "I got a rock!"

"Myna raised her eyebrows and nodded. Hau waved a hand, "dont patronite me, Its a cool rock, its got magics." Hau definetly meant patronize. But magic? Myna continued to stare at him with raised eyebrows.

"Alola kids!" Kukui's voice rang from near the Route One enterance. All three looked, and Hau started jumping up and down in exitement, "Kukui!" The rest, Myna didn't understand. In his haste, Hau had accidentally shut Myna out of the conversation. Myna watched the two, then Lillie too, conversate, and Hau jump around exitedly.

"Four weeks!" Kukui yelled suddenly, in Kantonian. Myna gasped and jumped back and away from his hand as he suddenly shot it upwards with four fingers upraised. She squinted and shook her head slightly. What on earth? "We leave in four weeks on your island challenge!" He pointed at Hau. "Best of luck with preparations!" He turned to Myna, "so you and Lillie've met. She plans on learning Kantonian, just as you with Alolan." He handed Myna a CD case. "Its an alolan learning program, it takes two weeks to master." He handed Lillie one as well, but the title spelled out 'Kantonian.'

Myna stared at hers as Kukui changed topics. "Lillie," he spoke in Alolan, and Lillie nodded, looking somewhat determined.

Myna wondered why. Lillie spoke to the boys before smiling at Myna and waving. She then ran off with her overly large bag hefted over her shoulder. Myna frowned, and turned to Hau, sending him a look, and pointing at Lilllie's retreating form.

"She wants to get started on that program the teacher-"

"Professor." Kukui corrected

"Professor," Hau threw him an annoyed look, "gave her."

Myna nodded before looking down at her own.

"Myna," Kukui drew her sttention, "your mother should be getting back in a few hours. I would head home soon if I were you." Myna nodded, and Kukui smiled, "Alola, kids!" And he walked off, calm and collected, towards the bottom of the mountain.

Myna watched him, before Hau cught her attention, "So... you should probably start that disk too, I can walk you home if you want? The pokemon here are kinda rough at this time of day."

The pokemon didn't seem to want anything to do with Myna... but she did like the company. She nodded to Hau, and signed 'yes.'

* * *

Myna was safe at home, hopefully studying Alolan. Hau shuffled on to Hau'oli. He passed by the school on his way. He had spoken more Kantonian in the last few days than ever before in his life. And the girl he was speaking to, was mute.

"Hey loser!" A voice called from the campus. Thank Arceus it was in Alolan.

"Huh?" Hau looked up, it was familiar. "Clark?"

"Who else would have the guts to call you, loser?" Clark was running towards him, but met up on the pathway just outside the school.

"School's out?" Hau ignored the question, it was so obviously retorical.

"Not like you'd care."

"Never went, never will." Their joking tones spelled of a long-time friendship.

"Well you got that grandpa of yours."

"Yup." Hau laughed, and Clark moved on.

"A couple of us are heading on down to the mall in a few, wanna come?" Clark looked so hopeful.

Hau looked suddenly uneasy. "Clark..."

"Look," Clark wasn't letting him weasle out of this one so easily, "it's not your scene, I follow, but you really can't just hang with the masochistic professor and his little blonde friend down at the beach all day. C'mon, you'll have fun!" Clark shifted, trying to get his friend on board.

"Like I did last time?" Hau wasn't having it. Clark was trying to get him to move onto the campus, towards his friends,

"I didn't think we'd do anything illegal..."

"Besides, Lillie's really nice, and Kukui isn't a masochist, he's a researcher, tons of scientists've experimented on themselves."

"And lived to tell the tale?"

"Some of 'em..."

"Hau, you're totally antisocial, come hang! Just today?"

"I'm not antisocial..."

"Name two people you!ve hung out with today, besides the professor, the blonde hirl, or you're grandpa."

"Well There's Myna. And Popplio."

"Myna?"

"Myna Pilikia, ya know, the new girl?"

"The one other homeschooled kid on this island?"

"Well yeah, but-"

"Dude." The judgemental tone flipped something in Hau.

"At least my friends aren't little shits who get in trouble with the law like it's just another tuesday on Melemele."

Clark shrugged, letting the angry tone of his much shorter friend rub right off him, "yo man, just messing, but we'll be at the mall if you change your mind."

Hau nodded numbly, and Clark turned and ran back to his friends, crossing the threshhold of the school campus, and leaving Hau on the pathway outside.

Hau noticed and waved to a couple of the older kids near the pokemon battlefield before heading into the city.

People knew him. They waved and yelled "Alola!" As he passed by. He didn't know half of these people. It was just another day in the life of the only grandson of the Island Kahuna. Hau turned into an alley, and passed through some gates into a shrubby and grass filled area. Trees hid the area from the alley, and all the buildings surrounding it.

"Alola guys, I made a new friend if ya'll wanna meet him." He called into the bushes. As they rustled, Hau called out Popplio. The little water type looked around in interest as some of the wild pokemon of Hau'oli city emerged from the bushes.

"Hey úl, how're your eggs?" Hau asked a somewhat large bird, to which, it chirped and presented Hau with some little pokemon, quite obviously babies. "Oh my gosh!" Hau gushed at the sight, "they're so cute!" Popplio began investigating the pokemon gathered in the area. There were around twelve. "This is my new popplio friend, I'm thinking on the name Wai, and he likes it, what'd'ya'll think?"

There was a chorus of hopy sounds, all giving their positive opinion on Hau's choice. Hau blushed, and the little popplio squeaked happily. Although, Hau supposed, it's name was Wai.

"So, any of you guys want to help Wai and me get ready before we go on our island challenge?" Some of the pokemon aggreed, specially when Hau brought out a plethera of berries native to the other islands. He spent all the rest of the day training with the wild pokemon of Hau'oli city.

* * *

Hala was yelling at a staue. It makes sense, trust me it does.

"How could you! I devote my life to being your stupid chosen one! I do whatever you tell me too! How could you choose my grandson! You sent my children to their grabes, now you send him as well!" He wanted to kick the structure so badly, "are you insane!?"

"You doubt my wisdom?" A calm voice asked, but still Hala couldn't see anything different.

"You may be legendary, but you're just a stupid pokemon!"

"A pokemon I may be, catchable, like the rest. But YOU!" The guardian apeared, looking and sounding as menacing as Hala, well Hala didn't think he had ever seen anything more menacing, "YOU ARE HUMAN! YOU THINK YOU ARE SO STRONG BUT TELL ME!" He was so close, Hala could feel the creature's breath, "WHAT HAS HUMANITY DONE TO SAVE THE WORLD THAT A POKEMON COULDN'T DO!?"

And Hala, he didn't have an answer.


	9. Anger, speech, and Kukui

Lillie was supposed to be asleep. She had exhaused herself learning kantonian. It was a two week crash course, which meant she knew what she was doing with most of her life for the next two weeks. But like I said before, she was supposed to be asleep.

Supposed.

She couldn't help it.

The voices of the Pilikia Professors echoed up from the kitchen below. She just had to listen.

"Myna has an appointment in Panolia in a few days."

"Really?" Burnet's voice asked, interest spelled out in her tone, "what for?"

"Her throat mostly, but Nalani's worried something might be wrong physically."

"How do you mean?"

"When she was young she was a clutz, the doctor diagnosed her as disfraxic, but it didn't explain her opposition to being around other children. The doctor told her some kids were just like that. The real problem though, seems to be her physical well being. If she gets sick, she goes down hard, if she falls, she gets really hurt. Its a wonder with all tje running into her Hu has accidentally done, that she hasn't broken or sprained something."

"That's a long winded explanation."

"You asked, Honey."

Lillie decided she should've never listened in on the first place.

* * *

Three days had passed and Myna found herself on Kukui's broken down and falling apart, barely floating, speed boat.

Honestly, it was a miriacle that the thing didn't have pieces flying off as they moved across the water. It was more of a miriacle, in Kukui's mind, that Myna didn't fly off.

She looked so free, staring out over the edge of the front of the boat. Leaning dangerously to touch the water. Apapane slept, perched on the railing next to Kukui's steering wheel. Beag sat on the bench next to Wikolia, feathers ruffled, and fully uncomfortable. That is until Myna called it into its pokeball for the bird's own well being.

But looking back at that moment, it was a stark contrast to how she now sat. Perched stiffly on the edge of the plastic chair in the doctor's office.

Test after test had been run, questions asked, blood drawn, her throat looked down, blood pressure taken, more blood drawn. The girl looked fully done with life at this exact moment.

Wikolia didn't seem to care. From Kukui's standpoint, she had continued to fall in mental state since she got home to Alola. Her bedroom still wasn't even unpacked.

"Pilikia?" The receptionist was a pretty girl, dark hair matching tanned olive skin, her voice was highly annoying though. "Myna's head shot up, and instead of looking at her mother, she glanced at Kukui. Wikolia was sleeping anyways.

"Yes?" Kukui wore a mellow looking Alola shirt, over swim shorts, and his signature hat and flip-flops. He looked absolutely ridiculous. The girl didn't seem to care, "the doctor would like to speak with you in his office please?" Kukui nodded numbly. He woke Wikolia and the two went in together.

"Please have a seat Mr. and Mrs. Pilikia."

"Ms." Wikolia corrected plopping down instantly.

"I'm sorry, I was under the impression that-"

"My sister just went through a particularly nasty divorce." Kukui felt the need to explain as he sat in the seat next to his twin.

"My apologies." The doctor had that look of, 'I have made a grave mistake.' "So she is biologically your daughter, ma'am?"

Wikolia nodded, she looked like hell, and just wanted to go back to sleep.

"Well, it appears that since Myna's last checkup in Kanto, her muscles have grown stronger, but as a wholw, her durability is horrendous."

Kukui had never heard the word horrendous used by a doctor before.

"It doesn't help that she knows minimal Alolan, and I minimal Kantonian."

Wikolia shrugged.

"Because of Alola's cleaner envirement and food use, I would say it would be okay to let her body adjust then come for another check up."

"Her vocal chords?" Wikolia wanted to go home...

"Ma'am, that's the strange thing." Kukui's interest was sparked, especially when the doctor checked hisnotes again before continuing. "All the damage to her vocalchords has been healed, for years even."

"What-"

"Your daughter simply doesn't speak."

Both of the Pilikias stared at him.

"It could be because she doesn't know she can, it could be trauma, or she could simply not want to." He straightened out his papers, "I suggest speech therapy."

"No!" Wikolia slammed her hands down on the highly distinguished man's desk. Her messy unkept hair flew out behind her as she moved forwards. "You do not understand! My daughter is mute! Something is wrong! She hasn't spoken since she was four!" Her eyes had gained some kind of unholy anger, a mama bear who didn't quite know how to be a mama bear, "the doctor, a friend of ours, he said-" she was just too angry to continue.

Kukui placed a hand on her arm, "calm down."

The doctor seemed slightly ruffled, but shifted slighly, putting on a calm air, "I would be highly interested to know what this Kantonian doctor told you."

"Her vocal chords weren't healing right. That something was physically wrong, we had to register her as disabled!"

"You had to collect the government payout?"

Wikolia stopped, wild hair still moving slightly as she breathed heavily, her anger giving way to confusion. Her hair fell slightly into her face, "what?"

"The Kantonian government gives a monthly payment to any parents with a disabled child, it helps with the special needs of each one." The doctor looked concerned. "Myna is not physically disabled, but you would have still gotten a check in the mail, are you tellng me you never recieved checks?"

Wikolia stumbled back, physically recoiled. "I-" she looked as though someone had physically struck her, "I have to make a call." And she dashed out of the room, leaving the doctor and Kukui to watch the door close behind her, clicking softly as though it had never been slammed open.

"Kukui, I would assume you can look into this speech therapy?" He and the doctor knew each other, close friends actually, had gone to college together. Wikolia had only met him in passing, she was to busy falling in love with a mysterious travelling young man form Kalos.

"Yeah, but to get this straight, she could eventually be completely vocal?" He kept his uneducated-like vocal ticks in check, this was serious.

"Yes, but it could take a while." The man looked so tired, Wikolia's wildness had taken a lot out of him.

Kukui nodded, said his goodbyes and moved towards the door. But the doctor wasn't done yet, "Kukui," the professor turned, already half way out the door. "You've got your hands full, take care of those girls, yeah?"

Kukui smiled softly, "I'll call ya later, Kauka." Kukui left through the door.

Myna sat, waiting for him. He gave her a questioning look. Where was Wikolia? She pointed to the door and gave him an identical look. Probably about the new state of confused emotions that was her mother. Kukui sighed.

"C'mon," he switched to Kantonian, "lets get home, yeah?"


	10. Next Stop: The Island Challenge

Sometimes you gotta deal with some aggrivating stuff. Sometimes you gotta use a cuss word to try and nock sense into your friend. Sometimes you gotta try and cross a broken bridge to save another friend. But unfortunately, Myna was not Hau.

She had never done those things.

But this was still and aggrivating situation.

Kukui sat in a corner, he had taken her into the city instead of her mother, who was fighting with either her father, or the Kantonian government as a whole. "Now Myna," the doctor spoke Kantonian, but with a heavy accent. "I would like you to try making the 't' sound." She stared at him. He cocked his head and spoke in an odd manner, "sweetie, that doesn't even require vocal cords..."

Myna shrugged, she didn't really want to try...

But doctor Lu was so persistant, he made the 't' sound, and motioned to her with his hand. She groaned inwardly and tried.

The sound that came from her mouth nearly scared her half to death. She sat there, in pure surprise, just staring staight forwards. She foughts against the urg to oress a hand to her mouth. Lu looked pretty happy, "see dear, I knew you could, now lets try some other things."

Myna sat, surprised out of her mind, wondering why she'd never even tried before.

* * *

Hau stood in the same gated area of Hau'oli as he always did. "Hey guys! I wanted to thank you all!" His Alolan words rang out into the trees, and reverberated over the shrubbery, "I brought a whole lotta berries!" It was true, his arms were laden with the treats.

Wai let out a stream of cute sounds, also calling her new friends out.

Pokemon came from the bushes. They dropped out of the trees, and popped from the ground. Hau laughed, and Wai jumoed up and down. "That was pretty fast guys!" And he set the berries down.

As the pokemon dug in, Hau spoke again. "I just wanted to thank everyone, for helping me and Wai, because we leave in a few days for our island challenge." Some of the poke on looked up, saddened, "but don't worry too much about us cause we'll be back super soon!" Hau laughed and Wai let out a happy sound.

"Anyways, I just wanted to say thanks, and Alola! I gotta go start packing!" He said 'alola' one more time before he and Wai ran off, he had some shopping to do before he headed back up to Iki.

He turned from the Alley and nearly ran smack into Myna, again. She gasped lightly, jumping back before Hau could nock either of them off balance. Hau really should have noticed the bright red of her hair... he needed to pay more attention when he was exited.

"Jeez Hau," Kukui spoke Kantonian and it took a moment to click, "you gotta look where you're goin'" Hau laughed nervously, clapping his hands behind his back as he rocked forwards and back,

"Yeah, hehe, sorry." He swutched topics, "so what are you two doing in the city?"

"Myna had an apointment, yeah?" Kukui smiled, "what're you doing, kid?"

Hau threw a glance back at the alley, "visiting my friends, running some errands, ya know?" He threw a look at Myna, and she nodded, smiling slightly. Kukui nodded as well, folding his arms as he thought.

"You two should look 'round the city together, yeah? Give you both a chance to catch up, I haven't seen hide nor hair o'ya in a couple weeks." Hau nodded, looking at Myna, who nodded as well. "Good! See ya both round! Alola!" Neither pre teen knew Kukui could run that fast...

"He's pretty exitable..." Hau observed, before turning to Myna, "I don't need to get much, just some stuff for my Island challenge in a few days. Myna nodded. And the two started walking.

"So, are you gonna tag along, Lillie's coming, she wants to see some of the ruins and visit the other islands, ya know?" Myna thought, before signing.

'Maybe.'

"Hey, you learned a new sign! Got any others?"

'Yes.' Myna stared at him, daring him to coment.

Hau just laughed, "guess I'll see them eventually, yeah?"

'Yes.'

"How's that rowlet of yours, Beag?" He stumbled slightly over the name. Myna took out the little bird's pokeball. Hau smiled, showing his teeth, and took out Wai's pokeball too.

Soon they made it to the first store. Hau held the door for Myna before walking through himself. "You can get most of this stuff at a pokemon center, but the stuff there is so cheep," he broke off and yealled, "Alola!"

Myna had found it to be a custom. No one really nocked here, not even on house doors. They just walked right in and shouted 'Alola' at the top of their lungs. If you didn't want someone in your house, or you wanted people to knock, then lock your gosh darned door.

A grumpy sounding voice answered the call, and Hau yelled something along the lines of "grump lots. Bad have day." Back. Myna needed to study more. And she still didn't fully comprehend the tones so well.

"See the pokecenters water down their potions to the point where plain water works more." Hau laughed to himself, "I wish that was a joke, but here in Alola, its not. The stores in pokecenters are run by the league, but here it's really corrupt." Hau shrugged, as he gathered up the products he was going to buy, "they tried putting gyms in pace a few years back, and making an elite four and everything, but the moment Kukui stepped out of the picture, everything collapsed faster than a Taurus through rocks."

Taurus through rocks? Was that an Alolan anology? It didn't make much sense...

Hau lead her to the counter, where a kid their age sat, looking bored out of his mind. "Alola Clark, not know job have?" At least Myna got that it was a question. Thinking more on it though, she realized Hau had said, "I didn't know you had a job." Which meant that it wasn't really a question. ARG!

The boy, Clark, looked like he came from the wrong side of the tracks, if Melemele had train tracks. "Not know have-" 'you have,' Myna corrected herself, "blah blah blah." Myna didn't know what those words meant. That was aggrivating.

"She is not. Friend she is." Myna tilted her head, looking completely dumbfounded. The boy, Clark, laughed.

She didn't know why, but she didn't like that laugh. By proxy, she didn't like Clark. Hau seemed annoyed as well. "Thanks. Alola." He didn't say it loudly, or happily. He said it as one would say good bye, to someone they strongly disliked in the moment. He moved quickly, and Myna thought she might have gotten whiplash with the speed they left the store.

"Seems good ol Clark got a job..."

'like not?' Myna looked concerned.

Hau smiled slightly, "actually you would word it as 'you don't like him?' Like this," he showed Myna the signs slowly before actually answering the question as they walked. "He's an old friend, our parents were friends, but he just annoys me."

Myna nodded, she understood. They went to a few more stores, and Myna was very proud of her new understanding of about thirty percent of everything said.

The sun was setting and Hau had to admit he was curious, "what have you been doing the last couple of weeks?"

'Speech.'

"Speech what? Can you speak?"

Myna made a 'more or less' sign, and Hau just looked more confused.

"Okay..." they were on the outskirts of the city now, passing by a pokecenter and nearing the Melemele private school. The public school was on the other side of the city.

"Ya know, this was a fun Saturday, you should really come with us when we leave on Monday." Hau had claped his hands together, "please!?"

Myna smiled, but still signed 'maybe,' she had to ask first. But really, she wanted to go.

She still had that urg to do something incredibly spontaneous after all.

* * *

A/N; guess who's sicker than sin!? This gal! I screamed at my brother in Spanish this morning. He is the one that speaks German... my head feels like knives are driving into it. I knew I wouldn't escape the wrath of flu season. Oh well.

Lillie btw, is like crazy studious, she's already at 87% fluency in Kantonian, which is like her 7th language. This girl is crazy smart.

A big thank you to anyone and everyone who reviewed on the last chapter, If ya liked this one, then drop a review! Later!


	11. Making A Choice

A/N: its been so long, I wonder if Farla is still around to nitpick every little thing. Poor dude, needs to get a life XD. Anyways, if anyone is still out there, here ya go! Sorry it's pretty short.

0o0

It was the night before the date Hau had given her, that Myna actually decided to go. Since her mother was shut up in her room, she went to Nalani to try and tell her.

In very quiete partial sounds of words, and a few signs, she told her grandmother she wanted to go. Nalani nodded and went upstairs with her to help her pack.

"this is a newer kind of technology, it goes in line with pokeballs, it shrinks anything put inside it, the only difference is that it doesn't shrink any living pokemon." She explained the cute purple side bag to her granddaughter as the girl put a few changes of clothes onto her bed.

Bothe Apapane and Beag were sitting on their perches, chittering at one another. Beag was asensitive little pokemon, very young, but had very strong affinity towards its ghost typing. It genuinely liked the preace and quiet, and didn't much want to be around others. But APapane was persistant, and Beag now simply tolerated the fragile red bird.

Nalani was putting a day timer into the bag, having already pointed out the days Myna had to be back on Hau-oli for her horribly boring speech therapy.

Her things were packed within the hour, and her alarm was set. By sunrise she was at Kukui's, she was just going to ssume he was her uncle, house. His lights were on, but she didn't really know what to do. Everyone here seemed to always just walk into each others homes, and a yell of 'Alola!" would be enough.

But it was early and even though the doctor said she could speak, she didn't believe that, and besides, she couldn't just _walk into people's homes_.

"MYNA WATCH OOOUUUUT!" Hau came barreling into her again. How could sand be so soft and so hard…? Hau was already apologizing profusely, "ohmygosh I'm am much sorry!"

"Hau you gotta work on your grammar!" both preteens looked towards the house, where Bernett (her aunt?) stood, door open, and hands on her hips. She was speaking in Alolan, and Myna realized with a jolt that she'd understood the sentence. "both of you get in here before the food cools!"

Nalani had given her breakfast though…

Myna tried to use a few signs to explain that, but Hau was already pulling her inside. He was so over excitable. So now she was sat at a table with Hau and Lillie, who looked half awake, and a large breakfast Bernett looked very proud of.

Kukui came up a minute later with a shiny pokeball, which he handed to Lillie, who thanked him and promptly ran to and climbed up a ladder to the home's loft. She returned a minute later, the pokeball held tightly against her chest, before she slipped it into her small white cross strap, which she didn't actually wear across her body, making the purse hang even lower.

"Good to see ya Myna, Ma said you'd be down this mornin, yeah?"

Myna nodded and Kukui laughed before grabbing a piece of toast, slamming some egg on it, and downing it in only a few bites. Earning him a stink eye from his wife. She spoke quickly to him about something, Myna didn't know what. Kukui nodded though, even looking a little apprehensive.

He let the kids continue eating for a bit, before announcing, slowly, "We'll leave when everyone has done eating." No he meant finished… Myna wasn't very good at translating to herself. She didn't even get it all on the first try, she had to go back and use context clues to figure out some of the words.

It was fine though; she got the gist of it. Probably. She might be a little wrong.

She still didn't know what she was doing… she just hoped they were tking a ferry, and not Kukui's terrifyingly beat up boat. He'd nitpicked her mom over her truck, but he had the water version of it…

Maybe it was a family thing.


	12. Of Trials and Bracelets

"Welcome to ? ?!" Kukui hopped off the ferry with the three kids in tow. His energy was infectious, "while ? the second ? ? ? in Alola, it has the most ?!" did he have to yell every sentence? Though there was one word she heard twice… and the only thing it should be was 'city.' Silently she inserted that word into those sentences in her mind. And with that inserted, she assumed the word before it must just be the name, so no translation.

Which meant this was Heahea city.

Kukui continued, as Hau and Lillie followed him, "Since it has the ? trial ? of all the islands, ? start their trial here." Hau was absolutely bouncing up and down with enthusiasm, and probably excitement too.

There were so many people though, and while Kukui seemed a master of weaving through them, Lillie stuck as close to him as possible. Myna followed behind, barely listening to what little she could understand.

Hundreds upon hundreds of people were milling around the port, and there was construction going on as far as the eye could see. Was it Hau or Kukui who'd said something about how people from other regions were running to Alola before it left the union? This must be where most were going. Gift shops and tourist traps littered the port. They yelled things in multiple languages, hoping to rope in as many people as possible.

Myna took in all the sounds, making a mental note to come back later. They made their way onto the boardwalk, and the rush of people did the opposite of lessening. Myna called out Apapane, and the bird landed on her head, making her more noticeable, and squawking if anyone got to close for its liking.

The rush of people only began lessening once they made it off the boardwalk and into the residential area. Kukui was still chattering away with Hau, and Lillie would pitch in every so often. Kukui eventually stopped and looked back, "ya good back there, Myna?"

She nodded, and Apapane took off from her head.

"thought ?'?'? take a bit getting here, but I didn't think you'? be ? ?." a teasing voice caused Kukui to turn back forwards, where a dark-skinned woman dressed skimpily in pink stood. She had large beaded jewelry that dangled as she walked.

She smiled at them all, before turning her attention to Kukui, "so, how many ? did you bring?"

"just the one," Kukui motioned to Hau, who waved excitedly.

"So Kukui, are you in the business of adopting kids now?"

Kukui laughed heartedly, and Lillie blushed, shifting her weight a little. "this one here's my ?, Wikolia's kid, and this is Lillie, she's ? with some ?."

Myna stared blankly while Lillie smiled and introduced herself. "Well then, since you're now the Pied Piper of ?, I'm Olivia, nice to meet you kids," she smiled at Myna, who made an awkward wave in response.

"well," Olivia clapped her hands together, "let's get this party ?!"

0o0

They had met an energetic young green haired girl. Myna said young, but the girl had to at least be a couple years older than her. She had explained something about the trial system to Hau, and when Myna shot a confused look to Lillie, Lillie explained it much slower, "the trial system is built in a way that begins with low level pokemon and gets more and more difficult until, by the end of it, the trainer's pokemon are capable of protecting them in the case of an invasion by hostile countries."

Myna nodded, smart, every kid on every island would be at least borderline able to protect themselves. Lillie wasn't done though, because she added in some more information, "since the Alola military has boats all around the region, its unlikely anyone would make it that far, but it has happened in the past." She thought for a moment, "and Alola has one of the lowest crime rates of any region." Myna nodded, taking in the information.

Hau was given a bag, and was running around them in the meadow, looking for plants.

"the trial also makes sure that children can find food and medicines in the wild if needed." They watched Hau slip on a patch of muddy grass, before catching himself and picking up a few berries, "since its surprisingly easy to get lost on an island, it's a necessity, but its also part of the reason actual food in the markets is getting more expensive. You know how there's a lot of animals just running around?"

Myna did notice that. so many domesticated animals that usually confined themselves to farms, were just roaming around, even in cities, mostly chickens, were just everywhere. It was a trip.

"eggs are pretty easy to come by because of that, and usually most the islands are edible…" Lillie was rambling now, and Myna stopped listening, no offense to the younger girl, but it was more interesting looking around the huge meadow they were in.

Apapane had flown off to do its own thing, taking its useful chatter move with it.

Hau was currently picking around some weird looking plants. "they're an invasive species," Lillie was explaining again, "brought here originally by the Kalosians who wanted to force the native Alolans to wear shoes. Long tern they only added flip flops sometimes. Whenever one of those plants is found by someone, its customary to rip it out."

Myna watched as Hau did just that. His search for, whatever he was looking for, wore on. Kukui was inspecting a small pink bird that had come up to him. it looked like a dancer…

"hey Myna, Come here." She did so, and he pointed at the bird, "this is an oricorio, like Apapane."

That was news to her. But why was it so different? She leaned down and smiled at the pink bird. Then she had a sudden thought. She reached into her bag and pulled out a packet of crackers Nalani had given her. 'All natural' the package said, 'healthy for humans, and pokemon' in smaller words it said, 'animals too.' She opened the package and broke off a piece of cracker. She handed it to the pokemon, who took it tentatively. After it ate, and thoroughly enjoyed, by the looks of it, the cracker, the small pink bird rushed off.

Kukui laughed and stood up, "pokemon are like that sometimes."

Myna glanced over to what Hau was doing; he was handing a bunch of herbs to… Mallow, that's what she said her name was, she watched for a minute before feeling something feathered brush against her leg.

Her first reaction was that Apapane was back, but when she looked down, it was the pink Oricorio again. It had a small bracelet braced in one of its wings. The bird put the bracelet down, and made a funny little sound, before bouncing off out of sight again.

Myna glanced at Kukui, but just like Lillie, he was busy watching Hau continue his trial.

She picked up the bracelet and put it in her bag.

She had just made a new friend.


	13. Passing the Unwinnable

Hala was feeding some of the newly hatched starter pokemon when he felt it arrive. He sighed and didn't turn to face it.

"I'm still mad at you."

"The feeling, is mutual, it seems," The totem pokemon was much calmer now, and had Hala turned, he would have seen even its form was much more relaxed and open. "I have a question for you."

"Oh?"

"Who did you think I was to choose?" Hala turned to look at the totem, and it swept one of its arms out towards Hau-oli, down below, "this island doesn't exactly have a high birth rate."

"there are five hundred children on this island."

"And yet, so few of age."

"You could've waited a few years."

"For what? A child that has never even seen me?" The totem _laughed_.

Hala frowned, "I knew you were going to choose him, but couldn't you have waited until he had experience."

"He does have experience! More than you did when I chose you." The totem realized it was getting riled up, and reigned itself back in, "besides, he needs to be chosen, now."

"Why?" Hala challenged.

"surely you can feel it in the air?"

And Hala knew, he could.

That subtle disturbance, that had been in the back of his mind for the better part of the year, something was on the planet, in the region, that shouldn't be there. Two somethings, one with malice, and one without. Hala did not want his island to become home to whatever was brewing. There was enough political unrest in Alola right now.

0o0

"Wow Hau, I've never seen someone finish my trial so fast, I hope you're as good a battler."

Myna hadn't thought there was going to be a battle…

"I like to think I've gotten some practice." Hau shrugged with a smile, "I'm super exited, I can't wait!" He was bouncing up and down again, with that boundless energy Myna was almost envious of.

Mallow even seemed to feed off of it, getting a little more pep in her step as she led him up the hill, with the other three following behind.

Myna whistled and Apapane came flying back from the trees.

Mallow lead them to a large somewhat overgrown battlefield. She scratched the back of her head guiltily, "sorry, I've been a little busy, so upkeep hasn't really been my ?."

Myna guessed it was something like a priority… she glanced around, taking in the sights. SO much so that it completely caught her off guard when the first moves were called, and the pokemon battle began.

"See I trained these pokemon to be able to attack and protect themselves without any calls from me." Mallow stepped out of the trainer box, leaving her three pokemon to their own devices.

Hau was only allowed one on the field. Which was fine, because he only had one pokemon anyways.

"Once they feel as though calling for help will not do much good, they'll call in their totem. Though other regions call them Alpha pokemon." Alpha pokemon, often unique in looks, they were always stronger than other pokemon in the area. Sometimes by huge margins. They always had special abilities, and high levels too.

Mallow's job was to train all pokemon she cam across, so that Alola itself would be able to fend off outside invasions.

Myna hadn't realized Hau would be battling an Alpha. Dang.

"Anyways Hau," Mallow called from where she now stood, next to Kukui, who didn't look surprised at all, "I wish you the best of luck!"

And Hau's first trial began.

Myna never found an interest in battling, she couldn't follow it, it was so high speed, but Hau looked like he was doing pretty well, even Wai was looking good. It was a shock to Myna when, early on, when one of Mallow's pokemon feinted, another one let out a loud, ear-piercing sound, and two more joined the fight.

So that's what calling for help meant.

Almost half an hour later, one of the two pokemon still on the field, let out a different sounding, but still as painful sound, and from the bushes, came a massive pokemon. Myna didn't know its name, but with a start, she remembered her pokedex.

It was an older model, but it was updated, so it should have pokemon from other regions besides Kanto… She scrolled through until she found the one she was looking for. 'Lurantis, the Bloom Sickle Pokémon. A Grass type, and the evolved form of Fomantis. Lurantis use their flower-like appearance and aroma to lure in opponents and defeat them.'

Wai was starting to look a little tired, but Hau threw a berry towards it, and Wai caught it. Pokemon had remarkably fast metabolisms, and within a couple seconds, Wai was already looking better. Myna didn't really know what was happening, but Hau would yell moves, or tell Wai to dodge, and the pokemon was gaining on the three in front of it,

One went down, then the other, and only the totem was left. Wai landed a particularly hard hit, and the totem pokemon stopped short.

Then it looked Wai up and down. Then Hau. Then it raised its hand.

Mallow clapped once, "and that's a rap! Lurantis approves!"

Hau looked over, confused, "But I didn't win…"

Mallow waved a hand, "Oh there's ? no way you would win, that's not the point, its to test if you can hold your own against a ? leveled pokemon, and then your ?. My trial ? tests your ? of ?."

Hau nodded, taking it all in.

Lillie said it slower and mostly in Kantonian, "absolutely no way you can win… own against specifically leveled… then your endurance…. My trial specifically tests your knowledge of nature."

Hau was already talking again, so Myna got none of his first sentence… Now he seemed to be excepting that the battle wouldn't actually have a winner. Lurantis came waddling up to him. it sniffed out a tribal bracelet he had on, and Mallow smiled, "It senses your Z-stone."

Lurantis pulled a small diamond shaped green stone from the folds of its feather-like-fur stuff. It handed the stone to Hau.

"Grassium." Mallow explained, "Lurantis thinks you're worthy, that's a first in a few years!"

Hau was looking at the stone, "wow…" he looked up at the pokemon, "thank you…"

Lurantis nodded once, then ambled away and out of sight. Mallow moved off to treat the losing pokemon, and Lillie stepped forwards a bit, and spoke rapidly to Hau, probably congratulating him, but she spoke too fast for Myna to catch.

"Off to the pokemon center with you three, yeah?" Kukui began herding them back towards the main road.

"Are we going back to the city?" Lillie sounded worried.

"oh no, that's tourist land, yeah? We're going further up the rout." And they were. All the way to a red roofed building that looked nothing like the pokemon centers in Kanto. Turned out it was illegal to have a red roof in Alola, unless you were a pokemon center.

In fact, that was the only identifying thing about them. while all having licensed pokemon nurses, they were all like add-ons to family businesses. This one was a café.

Apapane squawked at the sight, never really liking buildings much, so Myna called the bird pokemon bac into its pokeball as they entered. It was a small, homely café, with a playground out back for children and pokemon, and lots of nice seating, and it was mostly open-air, but off to the side, was a counter, with a nurse sitting at it, and a large room gaping out behind her.

Hau was quick to head over that way, while Kukui glanced at the menu and asked Lillie if there was anything she wanted. It went without saying at this point, that if Myna wanted something, she was going to need to go to the counter with him.

So she did.


End file.
